Bengaluru: Corrupt babus beware! The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) is on the prowl and on Thursday raided the offices and residences of eight government officials in various departments, seizing assets worth several crores including gold, silver artefacts, cash deposits, vehicles and even some cash in US dollars.
The errant officials were booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) for possessing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. The raids were conducted simultaneously in Bengaluru city, Chitradurga, Davangere, Ballari and Beltangady. Many of the officials owned several sites and assets which no ordinary bureaucrat could imagine acquiring in a lifetime, leading to suspicion that they had resorted to corrupt means to make the wealth.
Basavaraju was just another official working as an assistant director in the town planning department of the BBMP office in Mahadevpura. But little was known about the assets he had accumulated, way beyond his known sources of income, when a raid was conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday.
Same was the case with others - C.S. Vinay Kumar, Revenue Collector, BBMP, Puttenahalli Ward; H.L. Puttalingaiah, Asst. Engineer, PWD, Irrigation, Hangal Sub Division, Chitradurga; Umesh N. Patil, Asst. Executive Engineer, KRIDL Davanagere Sub division and Govinda Naik, FDA, Taluk Office, Belthangadi, Dakshina Kannada and his wife Leelavathi.
Those raided also included two teachers - Pampapthi, Principal, District Training Centre, District Hospital Ballari and H.R. Rechanna, teacher, Chamarajanagar.
On Thursday morning the ACB conducted simultaneous raids at several places in Bengaluru, Chitradurga, Davangere, Bellary, Chamarajanagara and Dakshin Kannada districts. The raids were conducted at residences and offices of several government employees and their relatives. Cases under 13(1) of Prevention of corruption Act, 1988 has been registered against seven officers.
In Basavaraju’s case the ACB found several incriminating documents at his residence in Rajarajeshwari Nagar and his workplace in BBMP office. He owned a site and a three-storey building in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, plots in Kadirenahalli and Padmanabhanagar. He also owned two pieces of agricultural land in Magadi taluk (one measuring 1.8 acres and another 4 acres and 6 guntas). The accused was also in possession of a site in Kottigepalya.
In the case of Vinay Kumar, the ACB found that he owned a site and a two-storied building at Kempapura Agrahara, Basaveshwara Layout and a flat in Vijayanagar second stage in Bengaluru. He also owned two agricultural properties in Kengeri (measuring one acre and 26 guntas, and one acre and 35 guntas, both at B.M. Kaval). The ACB also found that he had bank deposits of Rs 31 lakh and possessed US $4,186.
During the raids at Chitradurga it was found that Puttalingaiah was in possession of two sites at Kelgote Grama, three sites at Medehalli, a site at Madakaripura, Maheshwari Estate, a site at Channenahalli, a 3-storied building along with another one storied building at Medehalli village, and gold, silver ornaments.
At Davengere the ACB found that Umesh N. Patil owned a two-storied building at Davanagere Town; three sites at Shabanuru Grama; a site and a three-storied building in Shabanuru Grama; two sites at Kundawada Grama and two at Kabanuru Grama.
He also owned four agricultural properties in and around Davanagere - two acres and 16.5 guntas at Halekhalegrama; 26 guntas at Halekhalegrama; one acre and 19 guntas at Agasanakatte grama, and two acres and 11 guntas at Teredanahalli Grama. In addition he also owned one acre and nine guntas of agriculture land at Hoskote Taluk.
Wealth amassed by two teachers
During their raids at Ballari, the ACB found that Pampapthi, a principal, owned six sites in Ballari and one at Bengaluru.
At Ballari he owned a site each at Ramanjaneyanagar and Gandhinagar, and four sites and a building at Kuvempunagar. In Bengaluru he owned a site at Doddanakundi. He also owned a car and two two-wheelers. He had Rs 10.2 lakh in bank deposits, gold and silver ornaments.
At Chamarajanagar the ACB found that H. R. Rechanna, a teacher, owned numerous agricultural and residential properties. Rechanna owned five guntas of agriculture land at Chamarajanagar Rural; one acre 13 guntas at Muttige Village; one acre at Muttige Grama; nine guntas at Madapura grama; one gunta at Railway Station road and five guntas opposite to government polytechnic.
Rechanna also owned numerous residential sites.
1 crore assets seized from govt official
ACB team on Thursday raided the house of a government employee in Belthangady and seized cash, gold and documents of assets allegedly worth more than one crore.
According to sources, the ACB team raided the house of one Govinda Naik, who held three posts in the office of Belthangady Tahsildar. He is said to be holding the post of Deputy Tahsildar, FDA and Superintendent. His wife is an employee with the health department.
ACB had received a complaint that Naik was demanding bribes. Based on this complaint, the ACB team raided the house of Naik on Thursday morning.
The team seized rs 4.5 lakh, 480 gram gold, 250 gram silver, FD documents of ' 10 lakh, apart from various other documents of assets and real estates. The total worth of his asset is said to be over Rs 1 crore.
