The Lokayukta police, on Monday, conducted surprise raids at multiple premises belonging to public servants across Kalyana Karnataka region.
In Kalaburagi, the raids were conducted on the premises of three officers – the residence of Tippanna Gowda, executive engineer attached to Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Ltd., at Bhagyavanthi Nagar, off New Jewargi Raod; the residence of Basavaraj Dange, Bidar Range Forest Officer, at Maka Layout; and the rented house of S.S. Kambale, Joint Director of Joint Director of Town and Country Planning, at Oza Layout.
Lokayukta Deputy Superintendent of Police Manjunath Gangal, Geetha Benal and Police Sub-Inspectors Akkamahadevi and Druvathara assisted by Yadgir Lokayukta staff conducted the raids on the premises of Tippannappa Gowda and Basavaraj Dange. The residence of Kamble was raided by Lokayukta officers who arrived from Belagavi.
At Dange’s house, the Lokayukta officials found a pistol, gold, and silver ornaments and liquor bottles. The raiding officials have not yet disclosed any details about the other seizures. Dange hails from Afzalpur in Kalaburagi district. There were allegations of amassing assets disproportionate to his legal source of income.
The office of Dange in Bidar was also raided by Bidar Lokayukta officers. A team headed by Lokayukta Inspector Pradeep Kolla conducted the raid and took into possession Mr. Dange’s computer and other documents.
In Ballari, Revenue Inspector Manjunath attached to Ballari tahsildar’s office, was the target of Lokayukta police. A team headed by Lokayukta Superintendent of Police M.N. Shashidhar and Hospet Circle Inspector of Lokayukta Suresh Babu raided Manjunath’s residence at the Guggarahatti area and his office in tahasldar’s office in the morning. Before transferring to Ballari a few months ago, Manjunath had worked at Toranagal in the same position.
As per the sources in Lokayukta, all the raids were conducted based on the complaints of the accused amassing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.
In Raichur, the Lokayukta police raided the office and the residences of Sharanappa Patted, Director of Planning at Centre for Ash Utilisation Technology and Environment Conservation (CASHUTEC), Nirmithi Kendra. Led by Lokayukta Superintendent of Police Ram Arasiddi, the team of Lokayukta police raided Patted’s residences at Gangaparameshwari and IDSMT Layout in the city, his office at Shakti Nagar and his close relative’s house at Devasugur in Raichur taluk were targeted for raids. The officials found around 70 gm of gold ornaments and ₹15,000 cash.
Sharanappa Patted, who worked as CASHUTEC’s director of planning for over a decade, recently took charge of Nirmithi Kendra.
