NEW DELHI: A team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Akella Srinivas Anudra, branch manager of Dwarakanagar branch of Equitas Small Finance Bank on Monday in Vishakhapatnam, while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1.30 lakh from a local businessman to approve a business loan.
According to the official spokesperson of CBI (HQ) RC Joshi, a local businessman (name withheld as per CBI rule) had approached the manager of said, the branch of Equitas Small Finance Bank for a business loan of Rs 20 lakhs recently.
The branch manager allegedly demanded 10 per cent of the total amount of applied loan for approving the required amount of business loan. The accused further informed the complainant that his loan was sanctioned but demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh for facilitating disbursement of the loan amount.
“After negotiation, the accused allegedly agreed to reduce the bribe amount from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1.30 lakh to the complainant,” Joshi said in a statement.
Finally, fed up with such an act of bribery by Anudra, the businessman turned complainant and registered a case with the CBI against the branch manager.
After verifying the allegations, a team of CBI officers laid a trap and caught the accused Anudra red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 1.30 lakhs from the complainant.
Joshi further said that the role of a clerk of the Vizianagaram branch of the State Bank of India is also being looked into the case by the CBI. After arresting Anudra, the CBI team conducted simultaneous searches at the office and his residential premises of the accused at Vishakhapatnam and Vizianagaram. Anudra will be produced in the concerned court on Tuesday at Vishakhapatnam.
