JOIN USLokayukta raid on elected reps couple; ` 4.38 cr assets found
The Lokayukta police, on Wednesday, conducted simultaneous raids on 20 premises, belonging to six government officials and a Zilla Panchayat member in different parts of the State and unearthed illegal assets worth over Rs 11.50 crore.
The Lokayukta police found that Shivamurthy, a member of Belawadi Gram Panchayat, in Mysore district, and his family members owned as many as 68 sites and 55.18 acres of agricultural lands.
Shivamurthy’s wife Bhagya Shivamurthy, a ZP member, was also the president of Mysore Zilla Panchayat during the last term.
The Lokayukta police said, in all, Shivamurthy and his family owned properties worth Rs 4.76 crore, while his total estimated income was Rs 1.02 crore. The immovable assets included vehicles, gold and silver ornaments, electronic gadgets and investments together worth Rs. 1.64 crore. His disproportionate assets were valued at 427.20 per cent.
According to a release from Additional Director General of Police (Lokayukta) H N Sathyanarayana Rao, the raids were conducted in Bangalore Rural, Davangere, Dharwad, Mysore, Raichur, Tumkur and Yadgir districts and criminal cases have been registered against the accused under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Bank lockers of some of the accused have been seized.
The six officials, who were raided, are: Shankar Reddy, first division assistant, Bangalore Development Authority; B T Mohan, executive engineer, Zilla Panchayat, Chitradurga; Basavannaiah R Chikmutt, range forest officer, Kalaghatgi, Dharwad district; Channamallappa, assistant director of agriculture, Raichur; R H Basappa, VSSN secretary, Bennanayakanahalli, Tiptur taluk, Tumkur district and Srinivasa Reddy, first division clerk, health department, Gurmitkal, Yadgir district.
Shankar Reddy, the BDA staffer, owned movable and immovable properties worth Rs 3.80 crore. This includes a five-storied commercial complex at Rajajinagar in Bangalore and houses and sites in other parts of the city.
Mohan owned properties worth Rs 96.97 lakh, including houses and lands valued at Rs 51.88 lakh in Davangere. Similarly, Chikmutt was found owning assets valued at Rs 1.12 crore, which included landed properties worth Rs 73.97 lakh in Hubli and surrounding areas. Channamallapa was found to be possessing assets worth Rs 77.63 lakh. The disproportionate assets were valued at 164.66 per cent.
Basappa, whose present pay scale is said to be Rs 18,000, was found to own movable and immovable properties worth Rs 1.02 crore.
The disproportionate assets were valued at 301 per cent. The landed properties worth Rs 56 lakh were in the names of his wife and children. He also owned two cars, a tractor and a trailer.
Srinivas Reddy had properties valued at Rs 70.90 lakh and his disproportionate assets were valued at 164.66 per cent. He owns a house worth Rs 60 lakh in Gulbarga, the Lokayukta police said.