The officials demanded a hefty bribe, which enraged the land developer, who lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta, the officials said.
(Representational image/Creative Commons)
In a major crackdown against corruption in the higher echelons of Ballari Urban Development Authority (BUDA), Lokayukta sleuths arrested top officials including Commissioner V Ramesh for accepting a bribe from a land developer, Lokayukta officials said.
They said that a person named Ereshi had applied to BUDA seeking provisional approval for land development.
The officials demanded a hefty bribe, which enraged the developer, who lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta, the officials said. Accordingly, a trap was laid by the Lokayukta Superintendent of Police C Siddaraju in Ballari, they said.
Ramesh was caught accepting a bribe of ₹5 lakh from Ereshi, while BUDA Town Planning Member Kallinath was caught with ₹6 lakh, Assistant Town Planner Yashaswini with ₹3 lakh and Manager Narayana with ₹10,000, Lokayukta officials said.
They added that case worker Shankar, who is a First Division Assistant, was arrested for demanding bribe of ₹60,000. He had accepted ₹20,000 through UPI.
Along with them, a BUDA junior engineer, Khaji Khaja Hussain, was arrested for demanding and accepting bribe of ₹20,000 through UPI.
“All the accused are secured and bribe amount recovered. Investigation is in progress,” the Lokayukta said in a statement.
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