FRO suspended in Kothagudem over bribe in podu land case

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.

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