In a meticulously planned operation, officials from the Lokayukta in the Ballari Division of Karnataka apprehended a government servant associated with the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and an intermediary in the act of accepting a bribe.
According to details provided by M.N. Shashidhar, Superintendent of Police for the Ballari Division of Lokayukta, the accused had solicited a bribe of ₹15,000 to facilitate the issuance of a clearance certificate for H. Umesh, a resident of Havambavi in Ballari city. This certificate was crucial for Umesh to complete the transaction of selling one of his seven buses.
“Mr. Umesh, the owner of seven buses under SKB Travels, had sold a bus (KA-07/B1177) to Wasiqur Rahman from Ajjampur in Chikkamagaluru district. Upon approaching the RTO office in Ballari, the officials demanded a bribe of ₹15,000 for the issuance of a clearance certificate. Subsequently, a case was filed with the Lokayukta Police Station in Ballari under the Prevention of Corruption Act (amended in 2018), following a complaint by the seller,” stated Mr. Shashidhar in a released statement on Friday.
Chandrakanth Gudimani, Superintendent linked to the Ballari RTO, and Mohammad Raj, a private individual arranged by the former to accept the bribe, were apprehended in the act of accepting ₹15,000 from the complainant, Mr. Umesh, at a private bus stand in Ballari around 10.30 p.m. on Thursday, added Mr. Shashidhar.