The BBMP office.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Lokayukta police said on Thursday they caught two BBMP officials red-handed taking a Rs 4.5-lakh bribe from an individual to waive non-existent property tax dues.
In a statement, the anti-corruption watchdog said that its officials laid a trap for Rajendra Prasad, assistant revenue officer (ARO) and Prakash, tax assessor, both posted at the BBMP's Yeshwantpur office.
According to the Lokayukta police, the two BBMP officials had contacted Chandrashekar, demanding that he pay Rs 70 lakh in property tax for his commercial property. They later promised to waive half of the tax if he paid them a bribe of Rs 4.5 lakh.
However, Chandrashekar discovered that he did not owe any such tax dues and reported the matter to Lokayukta police, seeking action against BBMP officials.