SIT files charge sheet against Ashwin

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing extortion and corruption within the Lokayukta office, has filed a charge sheet in the fourth case (61/2015) on a complaint by Public Works Department chief engineer D Uday Shankar.

The SIT has named Yerabati Ashwin, son of Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, as the prime accused, along with V Bhaskar, suspended first division assistant (FDA) at the State police headquarters N Narasimha Murthy, and Krishna alias ‘Hotte’ Krishna.

The charge sheet stated that Ashwin and his gang demanded Rs three crore from Shankar to avoid a Lokayukta raid. Shankar had paid Rs five lakh to Murthy.

The charge sheet stated that Shankar, who was an accused in the Rs 600-crore scam in the PWD’s Magadi subdivision being probed by the Lokayukta police then, was called by Bhaskar alias ‘420 Bhaskar’ in February 2015. Bhaskar identified himself as Krishna Rao and told Shankar that the Lokayukta wanted to meet him. After many calls, Shankar went to the Lokayukta’s official residence on February 5. At the official residence of the Lokayukta, Bhaskar and Murthy received Shankar, and Bhaskar introduced himself as Krishna Rao.

Shankar later met Ashwin at an adjacent room in the house. Ashwin said Shankar’s mobile phone was under surveillance and that he would be raided soon for disproportionate assets.

Ashwin asked Murthy to demand money from Shankar. After this meeting, Murthy kept calling Shankar pestering him to pay money to avoid the raid. To instil fear, the accused also threatened Shankar to pay the money before his daughter’s wedding in March.

On February 14, Shankar paid Rs five lakh to Murthy near KR Circle. This is the only case registered by the SIT with a demand of bribe at the official residence of Justice Rao on Crescent Road in Bengaluru. The SIT has pressed charges under Sections 389, 420, 506, 120 (b) of the IPC and other provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.