Rs 10-crore haul in Lokayukta raids on officials

BANGALORE: Even as a political storm is brewing over illegasl mining in Karnataka,

the Lokayukta (ombudsman) Friday raided premises of eight officials

across the state and seized properties collectively valued over Rs.10

crore."Raids were conducted against senior and middle level

officers of various departments for acquiring properties

disproportionate to their known sources of income," Lokayukta Justice

Santosh N. Hegde told reporters here.Among the officials who

were raided and their properties seized were state public works

department (PWD) secretary C. Mrutyunjaya Swamy in Bangalore, range

forest officer Raghava Patali at Beltangadi in Dakshina Kannada

district, PWD executive engineer Virupakshappa in Davanagere district,

local body assistant executive engineer Suresh Ningappa Gowder at

Hunagund in Bagalkot district, child project officer Basavaraj Varavatti

in Bidar district and local body assistant executive engineer Gopal in

Kolar district."Though the cumulative income from salary of

Swamy and his wife is Rs.95,70,373 since 1992, the couple amassed

properties, including houses, flats, commercial complexes, bank

balances, deposits, gold and jewellery and cash collectively valued at

Rs.5.95 crore," Hegde said.Similarly, raids on Patali led to

unearthing of unaccounted properties, including cash, gold, sites, bank

balances, bonds and insurance policies, valued at Rs.88 lakh though

cumulative salary and other income was Rs.56 lakh."I have

recommended to the state government to suspend the officials and inquire

into their disproportionate properties to ascertain the sources of

their accumulation," Hegde said.The other two officials raided

are Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) clerk L. Mailaraiah

in Tumkur district and local body secretary Abdul Ghani in Raichur

district.These led to seizure of properties valued at Rs.54 lakh

and Rs.17 lakh respectively though their income was Rs.36 lakh and

Rs.17 lakh respectively.