Lokayukta raids on 8 Karnataka government officers yield 'ill-gotten' assets of Rs 22.5 crore

Lokayukta searches on the premises of eight government officers across the state on Tuesday unearthed disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 22.5 crore, officials said.

The simultaneous raids were carried out at the residences, offices and residences of the relatives of the government officers at more than 37 places in seven districts of Karnataka.

Highest assets worth Rs 4.26 crore were found with Prakash V, Divisional Mechanical Engineer, KSRTC, Ramanagara (retired). Officials found that Prakash owned eight sites, six houses and six acres of agricultural land valued at Rs 3.97 crore.

His movable assets, including Rs 15 lakh in cash, were valued at Rs 28.17 lakh, the Lokayukta said in a statement.

During the searches at four places linked to Kashinath Buddappa Bhajantri, Assistant Engineer, Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation, Hirekerur, officials found that the suspected government official threw wads of cash, said to be around Rs 9 lakh, out of the washroom window, which was later recovered.

Officials found that Bhajantri possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the tune of Rs 3.20 crore.

The others raided were Vittal Shivappa Dhavaleshwar, Village Administrative Officer, Revenue Department, Bore Gaon Village, Nippani Taluk, Belagavi (total assets: Rs 1.08 crore); Venkatesh S Majumdar, Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, Commercial Tax Department, Koramangala, Bengaluru (Rs 2.21 crore); Kamal Raj, Assistant Director, Commerce and Industrial Department, District Industrial Centre, Industrial Area, Karur, Davangere (Rs 1.99 crore); Raveendra Kumar, Deputy Director (Deputy Tahsildar), Training Centre, Bidar. (Rs 4.22 crore); Nagesh D, Public Relations Officer, Mysuru City Corporation, Mysuru (Rs 2.72 crore), and Govindappa Hanumanthappa Bhajantri, Assistant Secretary, KIADB, Lakkamanahalli, Dharwad (Rs 2.79 crore).