FRO suspended in Kothagudem over bribe in podu land case

A Forest Range Officer in Kothagudem's Aswapuram range, has been suspended for allegedly accepting a bribe to overlook illegal encroachment of forest land under the guise of podu cultivation by non-tribals.

Kothagudem: A Forest Range Officer (FRO), S Ramesh, of the Aswapuram range in Kothagudem district, has been suspended from service for allegedly accepting a bribe in connection with a podu land encroachment case.

Sources said some non-tribals had encroached on forest land under the guise of podu cultivation. Instead of initiating action, Ramesh allegedly accepted a bribe to ignore the encroachment. The deal was reportedly facilitated with the help of a local news reporter.

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Forest officials acted on the complaint and issued suspension orders to the forest officer, pending further inquiry.