Karnataka: Town Panchayat chief officer who gave Lokayukta the slip arrested

Kavitala (Raichur district): The chief officer of the Sirwar Town Panchayat, who had given Lokayukta police the slip, and was on the run, was on Friday arrested, along with the money he had received in bribe, at a friend’s house in Kavital in Raichur
district.

Suresh Shetty had reportedly demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from G Raghuram Reddy to issue the e-khata for the latter’s new layout. Reddy subsequently lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta police.

In the evening on Thursday, Shetty, after receiving Rs 1 lakh from Reddy, fled the spot by car. Although the Lokayukta cops gave chase in bikes, they were unable to catch him. However, the car that he had used for his escape was spotted in the surroundings of Kalmata in Kavital, and the police were able to zero in on Shetty’s location by tracking his mobile.

Shetty was taken to the Government Guest House in Kavital where he was interrogated, after which he was taken to the local Community Health Centre for a medical examination.