Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Sept 6: In a crackdown on grassroots-level corruption, Karnataka Lokayukta police in Mangaluru on Friday apprehended the president of Peruvai Grama Panchayat, Nafeesa, and bill collector William while allegedly accepting a Rs 10,000 bribe from a resident in connection with a government borewell scheme.
According to the Lokayukta press release, the complainant’s father-in-law, a 75-year-old farmer from Peruvai village in Bantwal taluk, owns one acre of farmland without irrigation.
In 2024, he submitted an application to the Peruvai Gram Panchayat under the state’s Special Component Plan (SCP) and tribal sub-plan (TSP), requesting assistance to dig a borewell. Despite fulfilling all requirements, his name was excluded from the sanctioned list.
In May 2025, upon learning that the schemes were open for fresh applications, the farmer reapplied. As he was unwell, he asked his son-in-law (the complainant) to follow up with the panchayat office.
On September 2, the complainant visited the Peruvai Grama Panchayat and met with president Nafeesa, seeking clarity on the status of the borewell application. He was allegedly told: “You will get the borewell under the scheme, but Rs 10,000 must be paid to the Bengaluru office. If you pay the amount, I’ll go to Bengaluru myself and get your work done. Only if you pay will the borewell be sanctioned.”
The complainant, citing financial constraints, declined the offer and returned. On September 4, he approached Nafeesa once more, but she reportedly repeated the same demand, insisting that the sanction would go through only if the bribe was paid.
Unwilling to bow to corruption, the complainant approached the Lokayukta police in Mangaluru and filed a complaint. Based on the allegations, a trap was set.
On September 6, Nafeesa allegedly instructed bill collector William to collect the bribe on her behalf. As William accepted the Rs 10,000 from the complainant, Lokayukta officers caught him red-handed. Both Nafeesa and William were taken into custody and an investigation is underway.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Karnataka Lokayukta superintendent of police (in-charge) Kumarachandra, and executed by Deputy SP Dr Gaana P Kumar, police inspectors Suresh Kumar P, Bharathi G, Chandrashekar K N and Ravi Pawar, along with the Mangaluru Lokayukta team.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the corruption and whether others were involved.