A team of Lokayukta officials headed by superintendent of police (SP) Ashok KV on Wednesday carried out raids at the residence and 10 other premises linked to Ajith Rai, Tahsildar of KR Puram, officials familiar with the matter said. The searches resulted in the seizure of a significant amount of cash, movable assets, and immovable properties, all of which were found to be disproportionate to Rai’s known source of income. Lokayukta is yet to announce the total amount of property seized, officials said.
This raid comes in the wake of Rai’s suspension for his involvement in aiding a builder and multiple companies in encroaching upon Storm Water Drains (SWDs). The officer’s actions were found to be in violation of the Karnataka Civil Service (Conduct) Rules, 2021, pertaining to employee conduct and dereliction of duty. Disciplinary action has been initiated against Rai, including his suspension and the initiation of a probe.
In addition to the suspension, Rai has been demoted to the position of assistant director at the directorate of social security and pensions, located at the district collector’s office in Bengaluru Rural. He is now prohibited from leaving the premises without explicit permission from a competent authority.
Recent incidents, such as the flooding of Rainbow Drive Layout on Sarjapur Road, shed light on the district administration’s survey, which revealed the alleged encroachment of a canal and the construction of villas. Despite serving notices to vacate the villas, the Tehsildar failed to take appropriate action in this matter.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which had initiated a demolition drive following severe flooding in Mahadevapura due to encroachment on storm water drains, had to halt the operation due to a stay order obtained by over 30 villa owners through legal recourse. It is now suspected that the revenue official may have facilitated the acquisition of such stay orders by other encroachers.
The ongoing raids by Lokayukta officials are still in progress, and the total value of the assets seized has not yet been disclosed. The operations extended to various locations, including Kodagu, Kushalanagar, KR Puram Bengaluru, Vijayanagara, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Chikmagalur, Yadgiri, Belagavi, Ramanagara, and Kolar.
Meanwhile, the anti-corruption wing of Lokayukta also conducted a raid at the residence of KIADB officer Narasimha Murthy in Tumkuru. Led by Lokayukta officials DSP Manjunath and Harish, the team seized relevant documents during the operation.
Last month, the Lokayukta’s anti-corruption wing raided the premises of the sub-division project engineer of Nirmithi Kendra in Ranebennur, Haveri district, in search of disproportionate assets. Additionally, the Lokayukta sleuths conducted a raid at the premises of an official from the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board. In both instances, significant evidence was obtained to further investigate the alleged corruption.
