Massive crackdown as ACB raids 18 officers in State

In Mysuru, Vijayanagar Police Inspector’s house and Gundlupet Excise Inspector’s residence under radar

Mysore/Mysuru: In a massive crackdown against officials that began in the wee hours of today, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has been conducting raids against 18 Government officers at 75 different locations across Karnataka.

Over 100 officers and 300 officials of the ACB conducted raids in connection with disproportionate assets cases. In a press statement issued in Bengaluru, the ACB said that the raids are based on written and oral complaints received by the anti-corruption body.

In Mysuru city, the ACB sleuths raided Vijayanagar Police Inspector H.N. Balakrishna’s house at Mahadeshwara Layout in Vijayanagar 2nd Stage and are scanning various documents.

ACB sources told SOM that the sleuths knocked on the doors of Inspector Balakrishna’s house at about 6.30 am and all the family members including Balakrishna were present at the house.

Simultaneous raids were conducted on the houses of Balakrishna’s father-in-law Chandregowda and the Inspector’s another house in Holenarasipura town on Holenarasipura-Channarayapatna Road. ACB sleuths of Mandya and Hassan have raided the houses in Holenarasipura and are verifying documents, sources added.

It is learnt that Balakrishna, who is facing charges of owning assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, was serving in the same Police Station for three years.

After searching Balakrishna’s house till 11 am, the ACB sleuths took the Inspector to Vijayanagar Police Station and searched his office.

The teams have now come back to his house and are verifying various documents pertaining to gold jewellery, vehicles, properties etc. The search was still on when we went to the Press and the quantum of the property and assets is yet to be disclosed by the ACB.

Mysuru ACB Superintendent of Police (SP) Arunamshugiri guided ACB Dy.SP Thammanna and staff in the raid. The house of Gundlupet Excise Inspector Chaluvaraju’s house at Srirampura was also raided. Gold ornaments weighing 650 grams and silver articles have been confiscated and the ACB Police are verifying the documents.

In the State-wide raid, the houses and offices of 18 officers in 75 places were raided this morning. Other officers who were raided are: Gnanendra Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Transport and Road Safety, Bengaluru, Rakesh Kumar, BDA, Town Planning, Bengaluru, Ramesh Kankatte, Range Forest Officer (RFO), Social Forestry, Yadgir, Basavaraj Shekar Reddy Patil, Executive Engineer, Koujalagi Division, Gokak, Basavakumar S. Annigeri, Shirastedar at DC Office, Gadag, Gopinath N. Malagi, Project Manager, Nirmiti Kendra, Vijayapura, B.K. Shivakumar, Additional Director, Industries and Commerce, Bengaluru, Shivanand P. Sharanappa Khedagi, RFO, Badami, Manjunath, Assistant Commissioner, Ramanagar, Srinivas, General Manager, Social Welfare Department, Maheshwarappa, District Environmental Officer, Davangere, Krishnan, Assistant Engineer, APMC, Haveri, Girish, Assistant Engineer, National Highways Sub-Division, Gavirangappa, Assistant Executive Engineer, PWD Chikkamagaluru, Ashok Reddy Patil, Assistant Executive Engineer, Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Ltd., Devdurga, Raichur and Dayasundar Raju, Assistant Executive Engineer, KPTCL, Dakshina Kannada.