Houses of Kodagu Additional DC, Harangi Superintending Engineer searched in Madikeri and Mysuru

Mysuru/Madikeri: Many senior Government officials were jolted from their slumber this morning as the Karnataka Lokayukta orchestrated synchronised raids across 48 locations throughout the State. These actions were prompted by intelligence suggesting the undue amassing of assets by officials.

The raids spanned cities including Mysuru, Madikeri, Bengaluru, Belagavi, Bidar, Dharwad, Tumakuru, Raichur, Davangere, and Chitradurga, in response to allegations of corruption against these officials. A sizable team of around 200 Lokayukta personnel has been actively participating in these searches since early morning.

Under the supervision of Lokayukta SP Suresh Babu, investigators approached the official residence of Kodagu Additional Deputy Commissioner Nanjundegowda as early as 4 am. Led by Dy.SP Pawan Kumar and assisted by 3 Lokayukta Inspectors, the 10-member team entered the premises near Field Marshal Cariappa Circle.

The searches resulted in the initial discovery of Rs. 11 lakh in cash, as well as gold and silver ornaments, alongside documents related to unreported wealth and properties. Officials informed Star of Mysore that the search would span the entire day, with the full extent of seizures to be disclosed only in the evening.

Searches were also conducted at properties belonging to Nanjundegowda’s close relatives in Mysuru, leading to the recovery of incriminating documents. Nanjundegowda has been in service within Kodagu district since 2015 and he assumed the role of Additional DC on Feb. 21, 2022. Prior to this, he held the position of Tahsildar of Periyapatna. A search operation was also conducted at the Tahsildar’s residence in Periyapatna today.

During the investigation at the residence of Harangi Superintending Engineer K.K. Raghupathi, Lokayukta officials were taken aback by the substantial wealth allegedly amassed by the Officer. Noteworthy findings include an opulent villa in Vijayanagar 4th Stage, Mysuru, in addition to gold and silver items valued at several lakhs of rupees, as well as high-end designer bags.

The officials are currently in the process of appraising the value of the assets at both Raghupathi’s official and personal residences.

Raghupathi resided in an assigned quarters in Madikeri and multiple locations within Mysuru city, suspected of holding properties, were also subjected to simultaneous raids. In the interim, Lokayukta investigators are awaiting the assessment of goldsmiths to ascertain the value of the gold and silver articles retrieved from the residences.  Concurrently, they are meticulously sifting through piles of files in their pursuit of uncovering instances of corruption.