Lokayukta police raid four govt officials

The Lokayukta police on Friday carried out simultaneous raids on four government officials and unearthed illegal assets worth more than Rs 3.5 crore.

The officials raided are M Yunus Basha, Executive Engineer, Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB), Bellary; Hombe Gowda,  Tahsildar, Grade-2, Alur taluk, Hassan; R M Manjunath Gowda, president of Shimoga Central Co-operative Bank and Karnataka State Apex Bank, Bangalore; and A N Bharathi, Headquarters Assistant, District Registrar Office, BDA Complex, Nagarbhavi, Bangalore.

Lokayukta ADGP H N Sathyanarayana Rao said, “Criminal cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, were registered against them in Bangalore, Bellary, Shimoga and Hassan. Reports were generated against the officials and 11 premises belonging to the accused were raided.”

Basha was found to possess immovable assets worth Rs 65.61 lakh comprising residential plots in Bellary and Gulbarga. 

He also owned movable properties worth Rs 95.73 lakh, including a two-wheeler and gold and silver ornaments. The disproportionate assets (DA) are up to 149.62 per cent.

Immovable assets

Hombe Gowda was found owning immovable assets worth Rs 1.10 crore, which includes sheds, poultry farms, a house and sites, and Rs 26.8 lakh worth of movable assets. The DA is calculated up to 115 per cent.

Around Rs 1.86 crore worth of immovable properties were found when the Lokayukta police raided Manjunath Gowda. Movable properties worth Rs 2.76 crore, including fixed deposits in various banks, and LIC premium amount paid receipts were also found during the search. The DA was calculated up to 69.61 per cent.

More searches are being carried out at Bharathi’s residence and the value is yet to be ascertained, said a Lokayukta official.

“Several bank accounts and lockers belonging to the accused are yet to be scrutinised. In the case of Bharathi, searches are still on,” said the Lokayukta ADGP.