Karnataka Lokayukta Raids Eight Govt Officials in Disproportionate Assets Cases

Karnataka Lokayukta police on Tuesday conducted searches at multiple locations linked to eight government officials in connection with alleged possession of assets disproportionate to their known sources of income, officials said.

The searches covered officials working in different departments and districts. Those named include Darshan Gowda, an FDA at the Chikkaballapur Deputy Commissioner’s office; retired BBMP Assistant Executive Engineer Ranganath H M; Bengaluru District Registrar Sridevi; and Madikeri Municipal Commissioner H R Ramesh.

The other officials are HESCOM AEE Kiran Kumar Baindur of Hubballi-Dharwad, GESCOM AEE Rajeshwari of Kalaburagi, Agriculture Department Assistant Director Manik Rao of Bidar, and Shivaraju, a hostel superintendent in the Backward Classes Welfare Department in Mandya.

In Kalaburagi, Lokayukta teams searched Rajeshwari’s residence in Mahalakshmi Layout, another house at Khadri Chowk and her GESCOM office. Officials examined property and other records during the searches, according to reports from the site.

Searches linked to Baindur covered his Akshay Park residence, his office, his wife’s workplace at the Gopan­akoppa HESCOM office and his brother’s residence. Officials were examining documents at the locations.

In Bidar, teams searched Manik Rao’s residences in Hake Colony and Humnabad’s Teacher Colony, besides a farmhouse at Muttangi village in Chitguppa taluk. Reports said documents were seized during the searches.

In Mandya, Lokayukta police searched the house and farmhouse of Shivaraju, with reports saying gold, silver and other valuables were recovered. Books and bedsheets reportedly meant for hostel children, along with liquor bottles, were also found at the farmhouse.

Searches of other officials’ premises were also underway, with documents and property details being examined during Tuesday’s operation.

The searches form part of cases concerning alleged accumulation of assets disproportionate to the officials’ known sources of income. Investigators are examining records and other material collected during the operation as the inquiry proceeds.

Lokayukta officials have not announced a final assessment of the alleged disproportionate assets or detailed the outcome of the searches for all eight officials. Further action will depend on the findings of the ongoing investigation.