Ballari: In a major anti-corruption operation, a surveyor of the Ballari Urban Development Authority (Buda) and his assistant were apprehended red-handed by Lokayukta police on Friday while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 3.5 lakh for clearing files related to layout approvals.
Accused Identified
The accused were identified as surveyor Shanthamurthy and his assistant Mohammed Sajid. They were trapped following a complaint lodged by Eereshi, 43, a local resident.
Complaint Details
According to Lokayukta police, Eereshi had obtained General Power of Attorney (GPA) from landowners Praveen Kumar, Kumaraswamy, Raghunath, and Brinda to facilitate approvals for single-site and multi-site layout files pertaining to their lands from concerned authorities. The complaint alleged that Shanthamurthy demanded a bribe of Rs 3.5 lakh for processing and securing approval of the layout files.
Legal Action
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at Ballari Lokayukta police station under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Trap Operation
At around 12:30 pm on Friday, Lokayukta officials conducted a raid at the Buda office when Shanthamurthy was allegedly receiving the bribe amount through his assistant Mohammed Sajid from the complainant. The officials apprehended both the accused and seized the cash.
Officials Involved
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Lokayukta SP N Vasudevarama. DSP Siddappa S Bilagi and Sachin S Chalavadi, PI Suresh M Bhavimani, and other officers and staff participated in the trap operation.
