Latest news with #KarnatakaLokayukta
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Karnataka Lokayukta searches premises linked to 5 govt officials in ‘disproportionate assets' cases
The Karnataka Lokayukta is conducting search operations across the state on Tuesday in connection with complaints regarding disproportionate asset cases registered against five government officers at Lokayukta police stations in Bengaluru, Chitradurga, Chikkaballapur, and Hassan. The searches are being carried out at several locations linked to the government officers' residences, workplace, relatives' houses, and farmhouses, among other locations. The five accused government officials include N Venkatesh, Revenue Officer at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Dasarahalli-sub division, Bengaluru; K Om Prakash, Senior Assistant Horticulture Director, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) head office, Bengaluru; Dr Venkatesh, Health Officer, Hiriyur taluk, Chitradurga; Anjaneya Murthy M, Junior Engineer, Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, Chikkablapura; and Jayanna R, executive engineer, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) division, Hassan. Further details are awaited, sources said. On July 23, the state Lokayukta conducted search operations at 41 locations linked to eight government officials, including IAS officer Dr Vasanti Amar B V, in connection with alleged disproportionate asset cases registered in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi, Koppal, and Kodagu. The police said they conducted searches in five places linked to Dr Vasanti Amar, Special Deputy Commissioner of Rail Infrastructure Development Company Karnataka (K-RIDE) Limited, Bengaluru and recovered assets worth over Rs 9 crore. This included three sites, four houses, three pieces of agricultural land, Rs 12 lakh worth of ornaments, and Rs 90 lakh worth of vehicles, among other assets, claimed the police. Venkatarama B, Office Assistant (Admin), Mysore City Corporation, was found to have assets worth Rs 3.7 crore, said the police. In Tumkur, searches across six locations linked to Rajesh M, Assistant Executive Engineer, Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), revealed assets worth Rs 3.6 crore. Searches were also conducted in four places in Kalaburgi linked to Sunil Kumar, Executive Engineer, Health and Family Welfare Department, which revealed assets worth over Rs 4.3 crore, officers said.
India Today
23-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Karnataka Lokayukta raids homes of three Bengaluru officials over illegal assets
The Karnataka Lokayukta on Wednesday conducted simultaneous raids at the residences of three government officials in Bengaluru over allegations of amassing disproportionate assets and involvement in illegal land raids were carried out at the homes of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Vasanthi Amar, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Executive Engineer Errappa Reddy, and Town Planning Assistant Director Bagli Maruthi. The operation was led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Vamshikrishna, with searches ongoing in localities including RT to sources, all three officials are suspected of having accumulated assets beyond their known sources of income. In addition, they are being investigated for the illegal transfer of government land. Errappa Reddy was recently caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh, which has further intensified scrutiny on his financial dealings. The Lokayukta is continuing its investigation and is expected to examine documents and property records seized during the raids are part of a broader and sustained crackdown by the Karnataka Lokayukta in recent months. In June 2025, the anti-corruption agency conducted extensive searches at 45 locations across the state, seizing assets worth over Rs 34.90 crore from eight government officials accused of possessing disproportionate wealth. The coordinated operation was carried out in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Kalaburagi, Dharwad, Hassan, Gadag, Shivamogga, and Lokayukta had conducted a similar raid in April against a government engineer in Ballari; assets worth over Rs 8 crore were recovered, including luxury cars, properties and gold in that March, too, Karnataka Lokayukta Police conducted raids across the state in connection with disproportionate assets cases against eight government officers. Two of the accused government officers were from Bengaluru and one each from Kolar, Kalaburgi, Davanagere, Tumakuru, Bagalakote and Vijayapura.- Ends IN THIS STORY#Bengaluru#Karnataka
Indian Express
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Karnataka Lokayukta raids IAS officer Vasanthi Amar, 7 other Govt officials in disproportionate assets case
The Karnataka Lokayukta Wednesday launched state-wide raids against eight government officials, including an IAS officer, Vasanthi Amar, in an alleged disproportionate assets case. Amar is currently appointed as the Special Deputy Commissioner, K-RIDE, which is implementing the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project. The Karnataka Lokayukta is conducting searches at the IAS officer's R T Nagar residence in Bengaluru. Last week, an FIR was filed against Amar by the Halasuru Gate police in Bengaluru for allegedly issuing an illegal order related to a 10.2-acre land parcel in Dasanapura hobli, Bengaluru North, between June and September 2024. The complaint was lodged by Prashanth Khangouda Patil, an office assistant in the deputy commissioner's office. Initially, a non-cognizable report (NCR) was recorded, but it was converted into an FIR under Section 257 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for a public servant corruptly making a report contrary to law, following a court order. Amar, a 2017-batch Indian Administrative Service officer, was serving as Special Deputy Commissioner-3, Bengaluru North, at the time of the alleged incident. Raids are also underway at the houses of Manjunathswamy M, Joint Director, Skill Development Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department, Madikeri; B Venkatarama, Office Assistant (Admin) at Mysore Mahanagar Palike, Mysore; Rajesh M, Assistant Executive Engineer at KIADB, Tumkur Division Office; Sunil Kumar, Executive Engineer, Family and Welfare Office, Kalaburagi; Sheku, Assistant Director, District Industries Centre (DIC), Koppal. Searches are also underway at locations linked to Bagli Maruti, Assistant Director, City and Rural Project Department, Sahakarnagar, Bengaluru, and H V Yerappa Reddy, Executive Engineer, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), C V Raman Nagar, Bengaluru.
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Indian Express
Bengaluru woman police officer arrested for taking Rs 1.25 lakh bribe to file false report in assault case
A woman sub-inspector of police was arrested by the Karnataka Lokayukta police Monday in Bengaluru while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1.25 lakh to close a report against a man facing charges of assaulting his partner. Savithri Bai, a sub-Inspector posted with the Govindapura station of Bengaluru city, reportedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1.25 lakh to file a B report in a case where the complainant, Mohammed Younus, was accused of assault or criminal force against a woman with the intent of outraging her modesty. A B report indicates that the police have found the allegations to be false or lacking sufficient evidence. After Younus lodged a complaint, the Lokayukta police set a trap and caught Bai while she was accepting the bribe. According to the police, Younus was in love with a woman for four years, and was in a live-in relationship with her. They decided to get married; however, the woman found out that Younus was having an affair with another woman. When she confronted Younus, he reportedly assaulted her. The woman filed a complaint against Younus at the K G Halli Police Station, and the case is in the trial stage in court. On May 5, Younus called the woman to HBR Layout to talk about the issue, and demanded that she withdraw the police complaint she had filed against him. When the woman refused to do so, he allegedly assaulted her. She managed to reach the hospital with the help of locals. After she recovered, the woman filed another case against him at the Govindapura Police Station. The police took him into custody, and questioned him. Meantime, Bai reportedly offered Younus that she would file a B report in the court if he paid her a bribe of Rs 1.25 lakh. However, Younus filed a complaint before the Lokayukta police against Bai.
Indian Express
19-07-2025
- Indian Express
Karnataka Lokayukta extortion case: Special court rejects IPS officer's second anticipatory bail plea
A special court for Lokayukta cases in Karnataka on Friday rejected for the second time an anticipatory bail plea filed by IPS officer Srinath Mahadev Joshi in connection with an alleged extortion racket targeting government officials in the name of Lokayukta officials. A former Lokayukta police officer, Joshi's plea was rejected as being 'devoid of merits' after the Lokayukta police told the court that he had appeared for investigations on the basis of notices issued to him and that there is no apprehension of arrest. The special court had previously rejected Joshi's anticipatory bail plea on June 24 after the Karnataka High Court stayed the probe in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police against a retired police constable, Ningappa Savant, who is accused of carrying out extortion in the name of Lokayukta officials, including police officers. The court previously noted that the Lokayukta police had alleged that Joshi, who was working as the superintendent of police in the Karnataka Lokayukta, had 'joined his hands with the accused by name Ningappa @ Ningappa Savant and conspired together to extract the money from the government servants of various departments'. The special court noted in its June 24 order that Joshi was making phone calls to government officials through Savant 'and illegally extracting the money by posing the threat of raids'. The court also noted on the basis of the police submissions that Joshi was investing money he obtained through illegal activities in cryptocurrency. The counsel for Joshi had argued that he had served the police force for more than 20 years in various districts and 'received the President's award'. The IPS officer sought anticipatory bail for the second time after the Karnataka High Court ruled on July 8 that the first summons issued to him by the Lokayukta police to appear for investigations on July 15 had lapsed and that fresh summons could be issued. The Lokayukta police told the special court during the arguments this week in the second anticipatory bail plea filed by Joshi that he had appeared before the agency and surrendered his mobile phones and that his voice samples need to be collected. 'Joshi was in touch with Ningappa and was involved in threatening government officials to extort money. They used the code word 'kg' (for money), the preliminary probe has revealed. The money was converted by investing in cryptocurrency,' the Lokayukta said in an official statement on the probe on July 3. The extortion activities linked to the Karnataka Lokayukta emerged after a May 23 extortion bid on a Regional Transport Officer in Tumkur where he filed a complaint with the Tumkur police saying he had received a call from an unidentified number by a caller claiming to be Vamsi Krishna, the superintendent of police of the Bengaluru City Lokayukta unit, demanding money to prevent a Lokayukta raid.
