Bengaluru cop caught red-handed by Lokayukta officials while taking bribe
Bengaluru: A police inspector, posted at Bengaluru’s K.P. Agrahara police station, was caught red-handed by Karnataka Lokayukta officials on Friday while accepting a bribe of Rs 4 lakh to drop a person’s name from a chit fund fraud case.
The accused officer has been identified as Inspector Govindaraju. He was trapped while receiving the bribe amount at the CAR Grounds on Mysuru Road.
Lokayukta Superintendent of Police Shivaprakash Devaraj said on Friday that the inspector had earlier accepted Rs 1 lakh on January 24 out of the overall demand of a Rs 5 lakh bribe in connection with a case registered under the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes (BUDS) Act, 2019, at the police station.
“The accused inspector was caught red-handed while accepting money from the complainant, Akbar, near the Chamarajapete CAR Ground. The bribe was allegedly taken to drop the accused from the case,” the SP said.
Govindaraju has been arrested under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act and sent to judicial custody.
Police sources said Inspector Govindaraju allegedly created a scene at the time of his arrest and turned aggressive during the trap operation. A video showing the Inspector creating a ruckus after being caught while accepting the bribe has surfaced.
The video shows Lokayukta officials taking him into custody despite his aggressive behaviour. At one point, as many as six Lokayukta officials were seen restraining the Inspector as he became violent. He was heard shouting and creating a dramatic scene.
Police said the bribe demand was made while the inspector was investigating a chit fund fraud case. Before the trap was laid, the inspector had gone to arrest the accused in connection with the case. A video of this arrest operation has also surfaced.
The video shows that the arrest attempt was carried out at a plot, where the accused resisted police action. “You have come without issuing a notice. We will speak to our lawyer,” the accused said, but the police subsequently called a Hoysala patrol vehicle and took him to the police station.
It was after reaching the police station that an alleged deal was struck. The inspector demanded Rs 5 lakh to drop the accused from the case. Initially, Rs 1 lakh was collected, and later the accused were instructed to bring the remaining Rs 4 lakh. While accepting the Rs 4 lakh, Inspector Govindaraju was caught in the Lokayukta trap.