The Karnataka Lokayukta has tightened its grip on government officials accused of amassing wealth far beyond their means. Acting on disproportionate assets cases, it carried out simultaneous raids on 35 premises connected to eight officials, uncovering movable and immovable property valued at over Rs 31.11 crore. The exercise is being counted among the largest and most coordinated anti-corruption operations the agency has mounted in recent months.
Where the raids took place
The searches went well beyond the officials' own homes. Their offices and properties registered in the names of relatives were also brought under the scanner. The action unfolded at the same time across multiple locations in Bengaluru city, Bengaluru rural, Davanagere, Kalaburagi and Chikkamagaluru districts.
The officials under the lens
The officers on the Lokayukta's radar are spread across different government departments and corporations. Those whose premises were searched are:
- Rajanna S.L, Additional Director (Town Planning), Karnataka Housing Board
- Uday Kumar M.B, Assistant Executive Engineer, Bescom
- Harshavardhan P.N, Deputy Conservator of Forest
- Siddeshwar N. Hebbal, Chief Mechanical Engineer, NWKRTC
- Sanna Kenchappa, Superintendent Engineer, KRIDL
- Krishna Naik L.A, Secretary, Bayaluseeme Area Development Board
- Manik S. Kanakatte, Superintendent Engineer, Public Works Department
- K.S. Mohan, Assistant Conservator of Forest
What the searches turned up
According to a release issued by the Lokayukta office, the property recovered during the raids includes immovable assets such as residential houses, land plots, agricultural land and commercial property. Alongside these, the searches yielded cash, gold and silver jewellery, vehicles, bank deposits and other valuables.
Broken down by the numbers, the total haul of more than Rs 31.11 crore comprised roughly Rs 22.73 crore in immovable assets and Rs 8.38 crore in movable assets.
Who held the most
The single largest sum reportedly surfaced with Rajanna S.L, whose property and valuables were pegged at Rs 7.10 crore. He was followed by Manik S. Kanakatte, with assets of about Rs 4.95 crore, and Harshavardhan P.N, with around Rs 4.85 crore. In one case alone, officials seized Rs 37 lakh in cash and gold and silver jewellery worth more than Rs 1.23 crore on the spot.
What happens next
The Lokayukta police say the raids form part of an ongoing probe into allegations that these officials accumulated assets far exceeding their known sources of income. Examination of the seized documents, financial records and property-related transactions is still underway, and only after that will the full picture become clear.
