This government peon owns 5 buildings, land and gold

Bangalore, Apr 26: Five buildings, land, half a kg of gold and much more in the hands of a peon? The Lokayukta police were zapped when they stumbled upon assets worth nearly Rs 2 crore with this group D employee of the revenue department attached to deputy commissioner of Chikkaballapur district. The assets were more than 436 per cent of D Sriramaiah's known source of income.

Sriramaiah was among seven public servants whose offices and houses were raided statewide on Friday. He had five residential buildings, land in Nandi village close to Bangalore, a Maruti Swfit car, half a kg of gold ornaments and more than 3.5 kg of silver articles.

Additional director general of police (Lokayukta) HNS Rao, who oversaw the operations, said, "We conducted raids at 19 premises in Bagalkot, Chikkaballapur, Davanagere, Haveri, Kolar, Koppal and Shimoga and unearthed illegal assets worth more than Rs 6 crore."

Reeling out statistics, in terms of assets, in the possession of statistical officer Basanagouda Gouder of the planning section of Koppal Zilla Panchayat, Rao said Gouder had "two JCB earthmovers, two tractors, five plots and over five acres of land in Bagalkot's Hungund taluk with total assets worth over Rs 1 crore".

Deputy tehsildar of Byadagi taluk in Haveri district Basavaraj Shivappa Koppad seemed to have a motor fetish, owning 13 vehicles, including seven two-wheelers, a tipper, tractor, a Maruti Ritz, a Swift Desire and Mahi ndra Bolero. He also owned four housing plots in Byadagi town and over three acres of land in Shirahatti taluk of Gadag district with assets worth Rs 79 lakh at conservative estimates.

PWD assistant executive engineer Mahantappa Giddappa Kannur from Lingasagur of Raichur district had over 45 acres of agricultural land besides five housing plots and a house worth over Rs 1.29 crore. His total assets were worth Rs 1.63 crore, more than 231% of his known source of income. Muniraju, office superintendent at SNR government hospital, Kolar, had more than 320% of his income with seven housing plots in Kolar. A sub-inspector at Basavanagara police station in Davanagere, Somla Naik had nearly five acres of land, two houses and four sites in Bellary district worth more than Rs 63 lakh. A town planner with Shimoga Urban Development Authority, R Nagaraj, had five housing plots in Shimoga, investments in a 3-acre arecanut plantation and an industry.