Key Highlights:
- Clerk with Rs 15,000 salary owned 24 houses, gold, land, and vehicles.
- Rs 72 crore scam exposed using fake bills in incomplete government projects.
- Senior IAS officer caught with Rs 9 crore in assets during raids.
In a shocking case from Karnataka, a former clerk of Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL), who earned just Rs 15,000 per month, was found to own properties worth over Rs 30 crore. The Lokayukta team raided the house of Kalakappa Nidagundi, and what they discovered left everyone stunned.
Kalakappa had 24 houses, 4 land plots, 40 acres of farmland, 4 cars, 350 grams of gold, and 1.5 kg of silver. These properties were in his name, as well as in the names of his wife and brother-in-law.
Fake Bills, Rs72 Crore Scam Uncovered
The investigation revealed that Kalakappa and a former KRIDL engineer, Z M Chincholkar, were involved in a massive scam. They created fake bills for 96 incomplete government projects and siphoned off around Rs 72 crore.
This case is part of a larger investigation into corruption among government officials in Karnataka.
More Raids Across Karnataka
The Lokayukta didn’t stop there. On Tuesday, they also raided the homes of five other government officials in different districts — Hassan, Chikkaballapur, Chitradurga, and Bengaluru.
The names of those raided include:
- J. R. Jayanna (NHAI engineer)
- Anjaneya Murthy (Water Department)
- Dr. Venkatesh (Taluk Health Officer)
- N. Venkatesh (Revenue Officer, BBMP)
- K. Om Prakash (Horticulture Department)
Earlier Raids Revealed Rs 37.42 Crore in Assets
Just a few days earlier, on July 23, the Lokayukta had carried out raids at 41 locations linked to eight government officials, including one IAS officer. These raids were conducted in Bengaluru Urban, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi, Koppal, and Kodagu districts. In total, assets worth Rs 37.42 crore were uncovered.
IAS Officer Also Found With Huge Wealth
The biggest name in the recent raids is IAS officer Vasanti Amar B V, who is currently working as Special Deputy Commissioner with Karnataka Railway Infrastructure Development Company (K-RIDE). She was responsible for land acquisition for the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project.
During raids at five locations linked to her, officials found assets worth Rs 9.03 crore. This included three land sites, four houses, three acres of farmland worth Rs 7.4 crore, jewellery worth Rs 12 lakh, and luxury cars worth Rs 90 lakh.
