Koppal: Do the honest stand a chance today? Or is the system so corrupt that even the best can fall prey to it ? To the surprise of many in Koppal taluk, a government primary school teacher, held in high regard for teaching lessons in ethics and honesty to children, has confessed to stealing sheep from a local farm and is now behind bars.
Picked up by the police, the teacher, Venkatesh Nayaka, explained he got into debt by paying Rs 15 lakh to a "middleman" to get him through a Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSE) interview and needed the money.
A MSc (agri) and B.Ed graduate, Venkatesh taught at the Government Primary School in Bomma Sagara thanda, Koppal taluk. Having cleared the KAS mains exam four years ago , he was eligible for a personality test and this was when he tried to take the shortcut to clearing the KPSC interview. But let down by the " middle man" who took the money he had borrowed to pay him and harassed by his moneylender, he gave in to the temptation of stealing sheep, according to his confession.
Forming a gang of four, he stole 20 sheep from the farm of one Kiran Kumar Rathod of Chinnapura thanda in Koppal taluk and sold them in Davanagere. A relative of Mr Rathod, who was first picked up for the crime by the police, confessed that the teacher was party to it. Surprised by his claim, the police hesitated to question Venkatesh, but when they finally did, they were shocked to hear his story.
Arrested by the police on August 12, Venkatesh has now been suspended by the education department.
