Bribe: DIC Joint Director, Excise Inspector trapped

Mysore/Mysuru: In two separate cases, two Government officials were trapped by the ACB (Anti Corruption Bureau) while accepting bribe here yesterday.

In the first case, a city  Industrialist had started ‘New Bio-Scientific Company’ in Hebbal Industrial Area after securing a Rs. 2 crore loan from Karnataka State Finance Corporation (KSFC). He later re-located the company to Kadakola Industrial Area and had applied to the District Industries Centre (DIC) for releasing Rs.25 lakh subsidy.

But DIC Joint Director D.K. Lingaraju and Deputy Director L. Meghala demanded Rs. 1.5 lakh as bribe for release of subsidy, following which the Industrialist had paid Rs. 25,000 on Jan. 28. Later Lingaraju is said to have demanded for payment of ‘balance bribe’ and subsequently,  the industrialist lodged a complaint with the ACB.

Lingaraju was caught red-handed  by the ACB sleuths when he was accepting the ‘balance’ Rs. 1.25  lakh bribe from the Industrialist at the DIC office on Sayyaji Rao Road yesterday.

In the second case, an Excise Inspector was trapped when he was accepting bribe from a liquor shop owner for not allowing another liquor shop to come up in his neighbourhood.

A resident of Alanahalli in the city was running a liquor shop at Mellahalli village on Bannur Road in the taluk.

Excise Inspector A.R. Yashwanth, who called up the liquor shop owner recently, told him that an application has been submitted seeking permission to set up a liquor shop in his (liquor shop owner) neighbourhood and he would reject the application if he paid Rs. 1 lakh.

Subsequently, the liquor shop owner gave Yashwanth Rs. 50,000 on Jan. 27 and promised to pay the ‘balance’ amount shortly. Later, the liquor shop owner complained to the ACB, following which a trap was laid.

Excise Inspector Yashwanth was caught red-handed when he was accepting Rs. 50,000 as bribe balance from the Liquor shop owner at a Kalyana Mantap on New Sayyaji Rao Road yesterday.

Both the raids were carried out under the leadership of ACB Police Inspector Mohan Krishna.