Mangaluru panchayat president, bill collector caught accepting bribe for borewell sanction

Despite repeated visits by the complainant’s wife to the Panchayat office, no clear response was provided, prompting a reapplication and the eventual bribery demand.

Mangaluru: The Lokayukta Police of Mangaluru division arrested the President of Peruvai Gram Panchayat in Bantwal taluk, Nafisa, and Bill Collector William for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000.

The complaint states that the complainant’s 75-year-old uncle owns an acre of agricultural land in Peruvai village. Due to the absence of a water source, he applied in 2024 under the government’s Special Component Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan schemes for borewell sanction. However, his name was omitted from the beneficiaries list.

In May 2025, he reapplied, but despite repeated visits by the complainant’s wife to the Panchayat office, there was no clear response. On September 2, when the complainant approached Panchayat President Nafisa, she allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 to be paid to the Bengaluru office, promising to get the work done.

When the complainant said he couldn’t pay, he was turned away. On September 4, Nafisa allegedly reiterated the bribe demand.

Acting on the complaint, the Lokayukta Police set a trap. On Saturday, Bill Collector William accepted Rs 10,000 from the complainant on Nafisa’s instructions, and both were caught red-handed.

A case has been registered, and Nafisa and William are in custody for further investigation.

The operation was led by Superintendent of Police (in-charge) Kumarachandra, with a team including DySP Dr Gana P Kumar, Inspector Suresh Kumar P, Inspector Bharti G, Inspectors Chandrashekar KN, Ravi Pawar, and other Lokayukta personnel.