JOIN USLokayukta 'informer' held
The CCB sleuths recovered a bike, as well as fake documents including Intelligence Bureau letterheads, an appointment order and identity card, search warrants and Rs 2,500 from Srinivas (30) of Megalbeedi in Kengeri, said the Cubbon Park Police.
The police rushed to KAS officers’ Training and Research Institute on Infantry Road on Monday and arrested Srinivas. According to sources in CCB, Srinivas landed up at the institute to extort from a KAS officer.
He had told the officer that Lokayukta officials were planning to raid his office and residence as he had acquired properties disproportionate to his known sources of income and demanded Rs 50 lakh to close the officer’s file and to prevent a possible raid. Police acted swiftly after receiving the information and arrested him.
Mode of Operation
Srinivas would meet the officials at their offices and houses. He would produce fake documents including an appointment letter and an identity card and would claim to be a junior assistant to the Lokayukta.
He would claim the Lokayukta had received several complaints about the officers that they had been making money by indulging in corrupt practices.
He would tell them he was very close to a few top officials in Lokayukta and that he would convince them to close the officers’ files and abort possible raids. He would demand huge sums for doing so.
Background
Srinivas. a graduate, rented a house on Megalbeedi in Kengeri claiming he was a Lokayukta office employee. He hatched a conspiracy with his associates Ramaswamy, Omkarappa, Srinivas, Kirloskar Srinivas, Jagadish, Pratap and Raghu to extort money from rich people. He introduced himself to Krishnareddy of Garebhavipalya as a CBI officer in 2007.
He conducted raids at Krishnareddy’s residence with his associates and collected Rs 25 lakh which Krishnareddy had got from selling a site. The Madivala police arrested Srinivas, and he was jailed. He came out of the jail in November 2009.
This time he decided to pose as someone from the Lokayukta office and extort money from officers. The number of officers duped by him is yet to be ascertained, police said.