Fresh 'corruption' blow to BJP govt

Lokayukta police raids house of BJP MLA's son, recovers Rs 8.3 cr in cash; Cong says '40 pc commission govt' proven

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: In a new twist to an alleged bribery incident involving a BJP MLA's son, the Lokayukta police raided the residences and offices belonging to the politician and his son, reportedly confiscating more than Rs 8 crore money from their possession on Friday.

Based on a complaint filed regarding a demand for a bribe, the anti-corruption wing of Lokayukta trapped Prashanth Madal, son of Channagiri MLA Madal Virupakshappa who is also the chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) on Thursday.

Prashanth was a chief accountant at Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). A senior official from the Lokayukta on Friday said that a trap was set up for Prashanth after a complaint was filed a week ago regarding demand for a bribe in connection with procuring raw materials tender for KSDL for which his father is a chairperson.

"Around 6:45 pm on Thursday, when Prashanth was at KSDL office on Crescent Road here, a trap was laid and he was caught red-handed while accepting 'first installment' of the bribe, which was Rs 40 lakh from a contractor, Shreyas Kashyap of Chemixil Corporation," the officer said.

The officer further said that the actual demand from him was Rs 81 lakh as per the complaint. The entire incident was recorded through a camera by the cops. The police suspect that the bribe Prashanth had collected was meant for his father.

Continuing the search, the Lokayukta police led by Superintendent of Police KV Ashoka, raided the office and seized Rs 1.7 crore in cash. The police also found Rs 94 lakh in a bank account belonging to Prashanth and initiated an inquiry to find the source of the money. It is worth noting that Prashanth had previously worked for the nowdefunct Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) as financial adviser here.

Further intensifying the search operation, the police formed a team each under SP Ashok and IGP Subramaneshwar Rao following which a raid was conducted on Virupakshappa's residence in Sanjay Nagar, KMV Mansion, during which the cops recovered Rs 6 crores in cash.

The police said that the search operation began on Thursday soon after Prashanth was caught accepting the bribe and concluded around 4 am on Friday. "The cops searched every nook and corner of the house and recovered eight bags containing huge amounts of cash in it. The officials continued to count the money until early morning and confirmed that the cash amounts to Rs 6.10 crores," sources from the police said. Later a goldsmith was called in to evaluate the gold jewellery found in the house.

The weight and value of the gold was also determined later in the day, he added. Five people including Prashanth, his relative Siddesh, accountant Surendra, and two other bribe givers in unconnected cases, Nicholas and Gangadhar, were arrested were produced before the Lokayukta Special Court and remanded into 14-day judicial custody.

Senior Lokayukta official said that his team has recovered a large cache of documents as well. “After taking stock of all the recoveries made, we will seek their police custody, probably on Monday,” he said. An FIR was also filed against the accused persons including the MLA Virupakshappa as the main accused in the case.

"The MLA, his son, and four others have been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988," the Lokayukta police said. Addressing a press conference on Friday, Karnataka Lokayukta Justice BS Patil said, “A sum of Rs 2.02 crore was found at the office and Rs 6.10 crore was found at the residence, taking the seizure to a total of Rs 8.3 crore.

Investigation is going on and all the accused will be punished as per law”. Virupakshappa is a two-time legislator. He began his political stint with the Congress but switched sides to BJP in 2004 polls. He emerged victorious.

He tasted victory again in 2008 polls and then went to join Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP), an outfit floated by BS Yediyurappa. Following the unraveling of the bribe-taking episode by his son, the MLA came under fire and has now resigned as the Chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited, the manufacturer of Mysore Sandal Soap.  

In his resignation to the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Virupakshappa stated that he had nothing to do with the Lokayukta trapping of his son and alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched against his family. Currently in an undisclosed location, Virupakshappa is exploring his legal options, sources told News Trail.