DHNS
Bangalore, Jan 24: M C Narayana Gowda started small, with an ancestral property of 33 guntas. By the time the Lokayukta caught up with him on Friday, the DIG (Forest Cell) had amassed wealth to the tune of Rs 1.75 crore, disproportionate to his known income.
This is the first time a DIG-rank officer has fallen into the Lokayukta net.
The Lokayukta discovered that Gowda had 5.5 acres of mangroves and 28 acres of agricultural land at different places in Srinivasapura taluk; three sites (50x80, 180x32, 175x34) and a house measuring 90x48 in RMV 2nd Stage, Bangalore.
Around Rs 33 lakh cash deposit receipts in six bank accounts were dug out. Besides, Rs 5.4 lakh cash was seized during the raid.
According to records, his income should not exceed more than Rs 60 lakh.
Seven other government officials from Mines and Geology, CCB, BBMP town planning, Commercial tax and Food and Civil Supplies departments as well as a junior engineer in the Panchayat Raj department, were also raided.
Assets worth nearly Rs 10 crore, disproportionate to known income was unearthed.
Among them, Sayeed Nusruth Ali, junior engineer, Panchayat Raj Engineering division, Devadurga tops the day’s list with Rs 2.40 crore. Sayeed has a 24 acre land at Devadurga, a commercial shopping complex on a 75x105 plot, with a petrol bunk in his wife’s name and houses, sites, bank accounts, vehicles, etc. He is followed by S P Raju, Deputy Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mines and Geology Department, Bangalore (Rs 1.22 crore); Shivaram, Assistant Engineer, BBMP, Town Planning, Mayo Hall office (Rs 1.65 crore); Revanna, Police Inspector, CCB, Bangalore (Rs 1.45 crore); Shanmukhappa Krishnappa Dombara, Commercial Tax Inspector, Hospet (Rs 60.88 lakh) and Shivappa Malleshappa Gaddadavar, Commercial tax inspector, Hospet (Rs 47.50 lakh).
Lokayukta Santosh Hegde said, all the seized properties are valued at the old rates (at the time when they were purchased). The raid was still on and all the officers’ bank accounts and lockers are yet to be opened and ascertained.