Lokayukta arrest 3 including deputy tahsildar for accepting bribe

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru Lokayukta Police have arrested Bantwal Deputy Tahsildar Rajesh Naik after he was allegedly caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of RS 20,000 through a broker.

Two others — case worker Santosh and broker Ganesh Vamadapadavu — have also been taken into custody.

According to the complaint, in 2021, the complainant had applied to the Bantwal taluk office regarding his mother’s pauti khata. Following a legal dispute, the Deputy Commissioner’s court upheld the land grant order and directed the Assistant Commissioner’s court to effect the pauti khata for Survey No 102/1 in Sajip Munnur village.

The Assistant Commissioner, in turn, ordered the Bantwal Tahsildar to implement the decision.

However, the file allegedly remained pending at the Bantwal Tahsildar’s office since April 2025. When the complainant approached case worker Santosh, he reportedly demanded Rs 1,500 for processing the record. Deputy Tahsildar Rajesh Naik allegedly demanded Rs 20,000 for approving the pauti khata entry.

The complainant lodged a complaint with the Mangaluru Lokayukta Police. On Wednesday, the Lokayukta team trapped Rajesh Naik while he was allegedly accepting the Rs 20,000 bribe through broker Ganesh.

All three accused are now in custody, and an investigation into the role of the Bantwal Tahsildar is underway.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Superintendent of Police (in-charge) Kumarachandra, Karnataka Lokayukta, Mangaluru Division. The team included DySP Dr Gana P Kumar, DySP Suresh Kumar P, Inspectors Bharathi G and Chandrashekhar KN, along with other Lokayukta staff.