Lokayukta graft case: Bhaskar remanded in 11-day police custody

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday took the key accused in the Lokayukta corruption scam, V Bhaskar into custody for 11 days.

The SIT police also took Y Ashwin, son of Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, for a day’s police custody. The police sought extension of Ashwin’s custody to question both the accused face-to-face.

The SIT officials produced Bhaskar (43), a resident of Skyline Golden Rays Apartment at Gavipuram, before the Lokayukta special court. The SIT has arrested Bhaskar in the second FIR (58/2015) on the complaint filed by P B Channabasappa, an engineer with the Upper Tunga project.

In his complaint, Channabasappa stated that he had met Y Ashwin, Bhaskar and Ashok Kumar at a hotel in Hyderabad. Later, Bhaskar demanded a bribe to close the disproportionate assets case against Channabasappa.

Bhaskar told the court that he had called the SIT officials and a team picked him up from a star hotel on Sankey Road on Wednesday afternoon. Bhaskar said he was taken to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital for the medical check-up.

The SIT filed an application seeking Bhaskar’s police custody for 14 days. Special Public Prosecutor K Janardhan said that Bhaskar has a lot of information about the extortion scam and he has to be taken to places outside the State for investigation and mahazar purpose. Janardhan said that information about Bhaskar’s involvement is in the form of a CD in a sealed cover, in view of confidentiality.

Meanwhile, Y Ashwin was also produced before the court as his police custody expired. The SPP moved an application seeking extension of Ashwin’s custody for four days. “Whatever stated in the FIR is just tip of the iceberg. With Bhaskar’s arrest vital information is needed to be drawn from both the accused,” he said.

Ashwin’s counsel objected to the extension of police custody. The special court judge V G Bopaiah extended Ashwin’s police custody till Friday.

Sources said that a few persons were on the payroll of Bhaskar working as agents. One of the important agents in the list is Rajashekhar alias Vasu, also named in the Lokayukta police report handed over to SIT.