Bribe Bomb explodes

• Lokayukta seizes Rs. 6 crore cash from BJP MLA’s son; Independent and fair probe, says CM Bommai
• MLA Maadal Virupakshappa steps down as Chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited

Bengaluru: A day after BJP MLA’s KAS Officer son Prashant Maadal was caught for taking Rs. 40 lakh bribe, the Karnataka Lokayukta raided the residence of Prashant Maadal here this morning and recovered Rs. 6 crore cash.

Wads of currency notes placed on a bed have gone viral on social media along with the video of sleuths pulling out more cash from bags and arranging them in bundles. Prashant Maadal is a Chief Accountant at Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the son of BJP Channagiri MLA Maadal Virupakshappa. Virupakshappa is also the Chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL).

Prashant has been taken into custody by the Lokayukta Police, who are now verifying the documents. In all, five arrests have been made.

Meanwhile, facing heat from the Lokayukta raids, MLA Maadal Virupakshappa this morning resigned as the Chairman of KSDL, the manufacturer of the famed Mysore Sandal Soap.

 In his letter of resignation, Maadal Virupakshappa denied the allegations against him. “I have no link to the Lokayukta raid. This is a conspiracy against me and my family. I am submitting my resignation under moral responsibility as this is an allegation against me,” he said.

As per reports, the search operation at his residence at the posh Dollar’s Colony is still on. Yesterday, the anti-corruption wing of Lokayukta caught Virupakshappa’s son taking a bribe of Rs. 40 lakh from a contractor at the Karnataka Soaps and Detergent Office.

Prashant had allegedly demanded a 40 percent commission for awarding a contract to supply raw material to the public sector company, but, after negotiations, settled for a 30 percent commission.

 “The anti-corruption branch of Lokayukta yesterday caught Prashant Maadal while taking a bribe of Rs. 40 lakh. Over Rs. 1.7 crore in cash was recovered from his Office,” Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B.S. Patil told reporters in Bengaluru this morning.

Lokayukta sources said that Prashant was allegedly receiving the ‘first instalment’ of the bribe on behalf of his father. The MLA’s son had demanded Rs. 81 lakh and Rs. 40 lakh was the first instalment. The contractor had approached the Lokayukta a week ago and the trap was laid.

The Rs. 6 crore found in the Dollar’s Colony residence of Prashant Maadal is over and above the Rs. 2 crore seized from the MLA’s Office on Crescent Road yesterday.

With Karnataka set to go to the polls in just two to three months, the development is seen as a serious setback for the ruling BJP. The incident came to light at a time when the Opposition is attacking the BJP Government for over 40 percent ‘commission’ and kickbacks in Government tenders.

Independent probe: CM

Speaking about the incident, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “Lokayukta has raided the son of an MLA. All I can say is that the reason for restarting the Lokayukta is to curb corruption in the State. Without Lokayukta, many such cases were found and closed during Congress rule.”

“I have said earlier also that an independent and fair investigation will be done. That’s why our aim is to punish the culprits. Lokayukta has all the details, whose money was it, where did it come from, everything should come out,” Bommai said.