A police inspector attached to Rajarajeshwarinagar station was trapped by the Lokayukta police on Wednesday for demanding a bribe.
H Hanumanthappa had demanded 15 per cent of the Rs three crore worth of financial instruments, including blank cheques that were in his possession, from Nataraj, a native of Bellary.
Background
Nataraj had lodged several complaints that six of his friends allegedly forced him to gamble and pledge financial instruments worth Rs three crore in the past one year.
“Though I did not know gambling, my friends forced me to play high stakes at several locations in the City. They also made me pledge blank cheques and other instruments as collateral against the money they loaned me for gambling,” Nataraj stated in his compliant to the Police Commissioner, earlier this year.
He also registered a complaint with the Rajarajeshwarinagar police station against his friends for cheating, causing mental trauma and driving him into depression.
Nataraj, who paid back the principal amount, asked his friends to return the financial instruments.
Instead, they asked Nataraj to collect the blank cheques from Hanumanthappa.
When Nataraj approached the police inspector demanding return of his financial instruments, Hanumanthappa threatened to file a counter complaint against him if he failed to pay 15 per cent of the Rs three crore worth of blank cheques he had pledged.
Nataraj then filed a complaint with the Lokayukta police against Hanumanthappa.
On Wednesday, the Lokayukta police laid a trap and caught Hanumanthappa. He was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Jail term awarded
The District and Sessions Court on Tuesday awarded three years of simple imprisonment to B Gopal Rao, Secretary, Somasamudra Grama Panchayat, Bellary taluk, on the charge of accepting a bribe four years ago, for issuing a khata.
He was also slapped a fine of Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
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