Karnataka Lokayukta raids 33 locations of government officers, finds Rs 29 crore in assets

Karnataka Lokayukta Police said the searches identified immovable properties worth Rs 17.98 crore and movable assets valued at Rs 11.63 crore.

The Karnataka Lokayukta Police on Tuesday conducted simultaneous searches at over 33 locations linked to six government officers and two retired officers in disproportionate assets (DA) cases and identified assets worth over Rs 29 crore, officials said.

The searches were conducted at the residences, offices and premises linked to relatives of the officers across Bengaluru, Chikkaballapur, Kalaburagi, Bengaluru South, Mandya, Kodagu, Dharwad and Bidar and led to the identification of properties, vehicles, gold and silver ornaments, cash and other assets.

The raids were conducted on the premises of Shivaraju M, Hostel Superintendent, Backward Classes Welfare Department, Maddur; H M Ranganath (retired) assistant engineer, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Shivajinagar; Rajeshwari Babalad, Assistant Executive Engineer, Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company Limited (GESCOM); H R Ramesh, Municipal Commissioner, Kodagu; Kiran Baindur, Assistant Executive Engineer, Hubli Electricity Supply Company Limited (HESCOM), Dharwad; Darshan Gowda G, Karnataka Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Chikkaballapur; Manik Rao, retired agriculture officer, Bidar; and Sridevi, District Registrar, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru.

Officials said the searches identified immovable properties worth Rs 17.98 crore and movable assets valued at Rs 11.63 crore.

Sridevi was found to have the highest asset value, around Rs 6.81 crore, including two sites, two houses, agricultural land valued at Rs 2.5 crore, and a garment factory valued at Rs 2.3 crore.

In the case involving former assistant engineer H M Ranganath, officials identified movable assets worth around Rs 3.96 crore, including cash, gold and silver ornaments, vehicles, fixed deposits and other articles. His total assets were valued at around Rs 5.70 crore.

In Mandya, Lokayukta teams identified immovable properties worth Rs 2.16 crore and movable assets worth Rs 1.66 crore linked to Shivaraju M. The properties included five sites, five houses, a commercial complex, a farmhouse, and six acres of agricultural land.

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Searches linked to Rajeshwari Babalad in Kalaburagi identified assets worth around Rs 2.20 crore, while Kiran Baindur was found to have assets worth around Rs 2.80 crore.

Lokayukta said documents and other materials seized during the searches were being examined to establish the officials’ income, expenditure, and sources of the assets.