Lokayukta police arrests 2 officials from Bantwal treasury for accepting bribe

Mangaluru: The Lokayukta police have arrested two officials for accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 each at Bantwal on Wednesday.

Lokayukta police said that complainant's husband was serving as a secretary in a Gram Panchayat under Bantwal Taluk jurisdiction and retired in October 2023. Subsequently, he passed away in June 2024.

The complainant approached Bhaskar, the Chief Accountant of the Bantwal Taluk Treasury, twice regarding the death gratuity of her husband. However, no measures were taken to credit the amount.

Later, in return for crediting the death gratuity amount to the complainant's account, Bhaskar, the Chief Accountant of the Bantwal Taluk Treasury, and Basave Gowda BN, an FDA at the Bantwal Treasury, demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 each. A case was registered against both at the Mangaluru Lokayukta Police Station.

The Lokayukta police caught the duo red handed while accepting a bribe from the complainant on Wednesday. The said officials have been taken into custody, and an investigation is underway.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Kumarachandra, Superintendent of Police (In-charge), Karnataka Lokayukta, Mangaluru Division, and executed by Gana P Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, along with Suresh Kumar P, Inspectors Bharati G, Chandrashekhar KN, and their team.