Karnataka Lokayukta Traps Four Officials, Contractor Over Pending Bills and Power Connection
Bengaluru: Four public officials and a contractor have been taken into custody in three separate Karnataka Lokayukta trap operations involving alleged bribe demands for approving completed work, clearing a contractor’s bill and sanctioning an electricity connection to a shed.
The cases involve two GESCOM junior engineers in Surpur, an in-charge accounts superintendent at PRED in Sirsi, and a HESCOM section officer and contractor in Ron. The operations were conducted by the Yadgir, Karwar and Gadag Lokayukta teams, respectively.
In the Ron case, investigators alleged that part of the demanded bribe had already been transferred through PhonePe before the remaining amount was accepted during the trap. In the Surpur case, the complaint concerned approval relating to work completed eight months earlier.
Investigations are continuing in all three cases, according to the details shared by the Lokayukta teams.
Surpur: ₹9,000 Allegedly Demanded Over Work Completed Eight Months Earlier
The Yadgir Lokayukta team conducted a trap involving Sachin Yedake and Srishail Tammadadi, both junior engineers with GESCOM in Surpur.
The complainant, Bhairanna, son of Devendra Ambiger of Tinatini, had sought sanction relating to work valued at ₹3,63,942 that had been completed eight months earlier, according to the case details.
The two engineers allegedly demanded ₹9,000. The Lokayukta account records acceptance of ₹3,000 involving the two accused during the operation, following which both were taken into custody.
The case was registered as Crime No. 08/2026 under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Police Inspector Pradeep Talakeri led the trap operation with assistance from Yadgir Lokayukta staff. Deputy Superintendent of Police J.H. Inamdar supervised the team.
Sirsi: Accounts Superintendent Caught Over Contractor’s Bill
In a separate operation, the Karwar Lokayukta team took Mallikarjun Patil, the in-charge Accounts Superintendent at PRED, Sirsi, into custody over an alleged demand for money to clear a contractor’s bill.
The complainant was contractor Nagraj Kattimani.
According to the Lokayukta case details, Patil allegedly demanded ₹10,000 for clearing the bill and accepted the same amount during the trap.
The case was registered as Crime No. 07/2026 under Section 7(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.
Police Inspector Ravi N.N. led the operation with assistance from Karwar Lokayukta staff. The team worked under the supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police Dhanya Nayak and the guidance of the Karwar Superintendent of Police.
Ron: ₹5,000 PhonePe Payment Followed by ₹10,000 Acceptance
The Gadag Lokayukta team conducted the third trap in connection with an alleged ₹15,000 bribe demand for sanctioning an electricity connection to a shed on the complainant’s land.
The accused were identified as Mehboob Sab Adin, a section officer at the HESCOM office in Ron, and Mahadev Sajjan, a contractor associated with the office.
The complainant was Meghaiah Hiremath, son of Shekaraiah.
According to the case details, Sajjan allegedly accepted ₹5,000 through PhonePe on October 1, 2026. He subsequently accepted the remaining ₹10,000 from the complainant during the trap on the instructions of the section officer, the Lokayukta alleged.
Both men were taken into custody.
The case was registered as Crime No. 08/2026 under Sections 7(a) and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Police Inspector S.S. Teli led the trap with assistance from Gadag Lokayukta staff, under the supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police Lokesh.
The three cases concern separate complaints and alleged demands. The allegations remain under investigation, and the trap operations and custody of the accused do not constitute findings of guilt.
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