Lokayukta police raids six government officials

Bengaluru: The Lokayukta police on Sunday raided the houses of more than 11 accused, including six government officials, in connection with illegal conversion of 1.34 acres of Civic Amenities (CA) land in Vijaya Bank Layout in Bilekahalli, off Bannerghatta Road, to non-agriculture purpose land.

Following a complaint filed by Vijaya Bank Employees’ Housing Cooperative Society (VBEHCS), the sleuths of the anti-corruption agency had registered an FIR on Saturday after a preliminary probe. According to the complaint, the government had acquired 111.18 acres of land and  handed it over to VBEHCS to form a layout for the employees in 1988. In this area, one K Abbaiappa, who was the owner of survey numbers114/2A and 114/2B, had also given his 1.34-acre land, which was meant to be a CA site.

Abbaiappa passed away in October 2001. But, the DC’s office received an application in July 2014 from K Abbaiyappa, who had died 13 years ago, seeking conversion of his agriculture land to non-agriculture purpose and it was done.

The Lokayukta police registered the FIR against six government officials - B.R. Dayanand, Tahsildar of Bengaluru South Taluk, Vimala, Deputy Tahsildar of Begur, S Ravindra, Revenue Inspector, Mylarappa, a Shirasthedar, Rama Rathod, Bengaluru South Taluk Surveyor, B. Sudha, Special Land Acquisition Officer of the BDA and private persons identified as Yatiraj, Narayanaswamy, Seetharam and Ramakrishna. Besides, the police has also mentioned ‘officers and staff of Bengaluru Urban DC’s office’ in the accused column.

Related to the case, the police raided the houses of all the accused simultaneously on Sunday morning. Tahsildar Dayanand’s flat in Hari Om apartment in Prashanthnagar on Magadi Road, Ravindra and Sudha’s houses in Yelahanka Satellite Town, Vimala’s house in Chamrajpet were raided and seized incriminating documents.

The raids were headed by SP Sonia Narang, five DySPs, 13 inspectors and more than 15 staff members in various teams. “During the preliminary probe, it was revealed that the private persons —Yatiraj, Narayanaswamy, Seetharam and Ramakrishna — colluded with the government officials and converted a land meant for civic amenities to non-agriculture purpose,” the police said.
Further investigations are on.

Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.