HYDERABAD: It’s not every day that a corruption probe begins with a person walking into the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) office -armed with videos, screenshots and a bank trail against one’s spouse. But, that’s exactly how G Divya Jyothi, a former deputy executive engineer of Manikonda municipality and now with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), came under scrutiny. In an unusual twist, her husband turned whistleblower, accusing her of collecting lakhs in bribes from contractors in exchange for fast-tracking their bills.She dismissed the complaint as a “personal grudge” rooted in a strained marriage. But the ACB saw more than just domestic discord. After a swift probe, officials said the evidence pointed to abuse of public office. Now, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Jyothi and unnamed others, based on the complaint lodged by Jyothi’s husband Sripad Suvarna on Oct 11, 2024.
Jyothi, who served in Manikonda from Nov 2021 to Oct 2024 before being transferred to GHMC, is accused of clearing contractors’ bills worth Rs 400 crore during her tenure, allegedly in return for bribes.Suvarna claimed that on Jyothi’s instructions, contractors deposited bribe money directly into his SBI account in Manthani, and that part of the money was routed to her brother Sarath Kumar Gurappa, an employee at BDL. He submitted a cache of evidence – bank statements, UPI screenshots, WhatsApp chats, and DVDs containing video and audio clips – to back his allegations. He also submitted a video showing bundles of bank notes stashed at their Manikonda residence. Sent money to GHMC engg under pressure: Contractors The FIR named three contractors – K Anil Kumar (Sri Tirumala LCSS and Seven Hills Enterprises), P Naveen Kumar (P Ganesh Contractors) and R Praveen Kumar (Raja Rajeshwari Constructions) – who allegedly made the payments. At least two of them admitted, during the preliminary inquiry, that they transferred money under pressure, unaware that the account belonged to Jyothi’s husband.As part of the inquiry, ACB obtained files from the Manikonda municipal commissioner. Officials confirmed that Jyothi had exclusive authority over estimation, inspections and sanctioning of engineering works.One instance that raised a red flag was a 40 lakh contract for the ‘supply and fixing of children’s play equipment in all parks in Manikonda municipality.’ Awarded to Sri Tirumala LCSS, Anil Kumar transferred 9 lakh into Suvarna’s account while the file was still pending with Jyothi.The work order, the ACB found, was processed without the signatures of the assistant engineer and the municipal commissioner. Measurement records lacked details of execution sites, but bills worth 31 lakh and 7 lakh were nonetheless cleared in May and June 2022.Adding to the irregularities, the agreement value of 44 lakh exceeded the sanctioned budget by 4.5 lakh, but no supplementary approval was recorded. WhatsApp messages and digital payment records aligned with the complainant’s allegations.Based on these findings, the ACB submitted a report to its director general on April 25, 2025, following which a case was registered under section 7(A) of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Jyothi and unnamed others.The FIR states, “It is revealed that Jyothi dishonestly demanded and accepted bribe amounts from various contractors of the municipality to facilitate the processing of their contract work through her office.”
