JOIN USThe sleuths recovered Rs 50,000 and Rs 22,750, which is said to be monthly collection from 13 wine shops, from GT Gowdar, the accused.
According to Lokayukta officials, Gowdar demanded Rs 1 lakh bribe from one Babu Reddy, who owns 13 wine shops in Chitradurga and Bhimasandra areas, as there were certain lapses with the wine shops. After much bargaining, Gowdar is said to have settled down for Rs 50,000. He directed Reddy to bring the amount along with the monthly collection of Rs 1,750 from each of his wine shops. An unwilling Reddy met the Lokayukta officials instead and lodged a complaint.
The sleuths have also unearthed properties worth more than Rs 1.5 crore disproportionate to Gowdar’s known sources of income after conducting raids at his residential buildings in Davanagere and Gadag.
During the raid on his Davanagere residence, the sleuths found Rs 16.5 lakh in cash, 10 tolas of gold jewellery, 379 gram of silver ornaments, one car, one two-wheeler and documents showing a bank balance of Rs 39 lakh, Rs 43 lakh fixed deposit.
While raiding the Gadag residence, the sleuths recovered 12.4 lakh cash, one car, property documents of a house worth Rs 20 lakh and six-and-half acre land in Teredahalli in Hungund taluk. Lokayukta sleuth also found Rs 3.7 lakh bank balance in Gowdar’s bank account in Chitradugra.