The teams, each led by a DySP, raided the offices of Davalagiri Properties (Vijayanagar) and Prerna Trust (Sheshadripuram), besides raiding Sahyadri Health Care & Diagnostic Private Limited located in Apollo Hospital (Thilaknagar) and owned by BJP MLA Hemachandra Sagar .
Sources in the Lokayukta said the ombudsman officials will study documents seized to find any connection to the Upper Bhadra project case, in which Yeddyurappa is trying to obtain an anticipatory bail.
The officials said they are also probing involvement of other agencies or individuals.
It is in this context that the team raided Sahyadri Health Care & Diagnostic Private Limited. While conceding that they had gathered enough leads to prompt them to raid the premises, sources said, it would take time before any concrete connection could be established.
“We have reasons to believe that there is business connection between Sahyadri Health Care and Davalagiri Properties, we are in the process of finding material to prove the same,” a well-placed source said.
Interestingly, Hemachandra Sagar was seen at the Lokayukta Court at around 2.49 pm when a denotification case (no 156) involving Yeddyurappa was being heard, although he had no connections with the case. Also seen at the court were the former chief minister’s sons, B Y Raghavendra and B Y Vijendra, daughter Uma Devi and son-in-law Sohan Kumar.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Lokayukta ADGP A G Gaonkar said: “We began the raids at 9:30 am and they continued until 4 pm. Yeddyurappa’s family members were present at the spots we raided, but they did not obstruct the search.”
The Lokayukta’s low-key announcement indicated that there may not have been major seizures, and sources said it was if the raided persons expected the raid. As if confirming such suspicions, Yeddyurappa in Koppal said as early on Monday, he was aware that the raids would be conducted.
Sources also expressed surprise that the raids had been delayed and were conducted only after Justice Shivaraj Patil resigned as Lokayukta.
Although Patil was not required to authorise the raids as they were part of the ongoing investigation, sources said he was, as per protocol, kept in the loop about the developments as he was still the Lokayukta until Tuesday when Governor H R Bharadwaj accepted his resignation.
A Lokayukta court headed by Judge N K Sudhindra Rao is hearing five complaints against Yeddyurappa filed by two Bangalore advocates Sirajin Basha and N K Balraj in January this year.