Barely a day after he received an award on the Independence Day for being the best constable in his district, the police constable was caught red-handed while taking a bribe.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday arrested P Thirupathi Reddy for taking the bribe of Rs 17,000 from a sand dealer in the Mahabubnagar district of Telangana.
Posted at I-Town police station in Mahabubnagar, the constable was allegedly harassing the sand dealer, Mudavath Ramesh, by threatening to confiscate his tractor.
The cop had threatened Ramesh to implicate him in a false case in case he did not pay the money. Ramesh, then lodged a complaint with the anti-graft agency, which laid a trap and caught the constable red-handed.
ACB arrested Reddy and produced him in a special court for ACB cases.
Only a day earlier Reddy had received the best constable award for his dedication and hard work.
He had received the award from State Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud during the Independence Day celebrations.