Karnataka Lokayukta raids 8 govt officers over disproportionate assets

Karnataka Lokayukta Police raided 42 locations linked to eight government officers over disproportionate asset cases. A separate trap operation led to the arrest of a BBMP official caught accepting a Rs 10,000 bribe in Bangalore.

Lokayukta Raids 8 Government Officers in Disproportionate Asset Case

The Karnataka Lokayukta Police on Thursday conducted search operations in connection with complaints regarding disproportionate asset cases registered against eight government officers in Lokayukta Police Station of Bengaluru City-3, Mandya-1, Gadag-1, Mysuru-1, Vijayapura-1 and Yadagiri-1.

Simultaneously, searches were conducted at the residences, office and residences of the relatives of the concerned accused Government officers were conducted at more than 42 places. The accused individuals have been identified as Shashidhar R, H C Indresh, Vasanth Valappa Naik, Sathish S, M K Surakod, Asif Iqbal Khaleel, Prakash Irappa Ghodbale, and Veeresh Rudraiah Hiremat.

Assets Unearthed from Accused Officials

The raid revealed numerous assets from each of the accused public officials. Shashidhar R, CEO of Singanayakanahalli Raita Seva Sahakara Sangha in Bengaluru, was found to possess immovable assets worth Rs. 4.25 crore and movable assets worth Rs. 90.59 lakh. A total of Rs. 3.43 crore of disproportionate assets were found.

A total of Rs. 1.88 crore of assets were possessed by HC Indresh, Associate Professor at Veterinary College, Hebbal. While Chief Engineer of K-SHIP, Vasanth Valappa Naik, had a total of Rs. 4.41 crore of assets, Satish S of the PWD Mandya possessed assets worth Rs. 3.01 crore.

MK Sukarod, Taluk Backwards Classes Welfare Officer in Gadag, was found to be possessing assets valued at Rs. 1.82 crore. Searches revealed that Asif Iqbal Khaleel, Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, Mysuru, had a total of Rs. 6.89 crore of assets.

While Junior Engineer Prakash Erappa Godbole, KBJNL, Vijayapura, possessed assets worth Rs. 4.60 crore. Electrical Inspector Veeresh Rudraiah Hiremat, Yadagiri, held a total of Rs. 1.54 crore of assets. The assets included multiple residential and agricultural properties, vehicles, gold and silver ornaments, cash, etc. All the accused have been arrested by the Karnataka Lokayukta.

BBMP Official Caught in Bribery Trap

Meanwhile, in a separate case on the same day, the Karnataka Lokayukta on Thursday conducted a trap and successfully arrested a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) official, who was caught accepting a bribe in Bangalore. The operation was conducted under the supervision of IPS Bengaluru City-1, Shiva Prakash Devaraju.

The case involved an unauthorised seizure of a chipping machine used for road cutting from the work site and a bribe demanded for its return. A case has been registered under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, after a complaint was filed by Abdul Rehman (49), resident of Adarsh Nagar.

The complainant stated that M. Nagaraj (39), a BBMP Assistant Grade Officer (AGO) from Kaval Bairasandra, demanded Rs. 10, 000 after seizing the machine. During the trap, the AGO was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe.

The operation was led by Bhaskar CR, PI-5, with assistance from Basavaraj G Pulari, PI-10, Palaksha Prabhu KN, PI-20, and supporting staff. The team was supervised by Mallikarjun Chukki S, DSP-13, Bangalore City-1. The accused is in police custody, and an investigation is underway.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)