Lokayukta raid case: MLA Madal Virupakshappa remains elusive

PTI, Mar 5, 2023, 6:20 PM IST

Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa remained elusive on Sunday, three days after Lokayukta police caught his son Prashanth Kumar M V for allegedly taking a bribe for a government contract.

According to official sources, Lokayukta police are making all efforts to trace the Channagiri legislator, who is the prime accused in the case.

Officials had earlier said, they will be issuing him a notice for questioning, in connection with the corruption scandal that has rocked the State ahead of the Assembly polls.

Lokayukta police seized Rs 8.02 crore in cash belonging to Kumar, this include Rs 6.1 crore from his residence in Bengaluru on Friday and Rs 2.02 crore from his private office on Thursday.

Of the Rs 2.02 crore, Rs 40 lakh was allegedly the bribe that Kumar had received from the head of a private company that had won a contract to supply raw materials to the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd (KSDL), of which his father Virupakshappa was the Chairman, the post from which he resigned on Friday.

Lokayukta police have also seized another Rs 16.47 lakh from Virupakshappa’s residence in Davangere district.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai today said no decision has been taken regarding seeking Virupakshappa’s resignation, and fair probe is on by the Lokayukta in the case.

Accusing Congress of ”shutting down” the Lokayukta, while in power, to close cases against its leaders, he said, 59 cases of the grand old party’s tenure under Siddaramaiah, have been referred to the Lokayukta and the truth will come out.

”It (MLA’s resignation) has not been decided yet, our point is that Lokayukta has been given complete independence and they are conducting a fair probe and they should continue to do it,” Bommai told reporters here in response to a question about seeking Virupakshappa’s resignation.

Prashanth Kumar, a Karnataka administrative services officer, is among five people, arrested in the case.

Lokayukta sources said apart from cash, documents for huge investment in land, gold and silver were also found from the MLA’s house.

Responding to a question on Congress demanding CM’s resignation, Bommai said ”When Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister, Rs 25 lakh were seized from the then Minister C Puttarangashetty’s office, did he give resignation then? Without conducting a proper inquiry into it, he tried to shut the case, if Lokayukta was there then cases would have been registered against them, but it was shut then.”

Siddaramaiah led government tried to protect the corruption and has closed the cases, whereas the BJP administration has given all powers to Lokayukta to take action against whoever have committed the mistake, even if the person is from our own party. ”This is our morality, while theirs (Congress) was to close cases, so we need not learn lessons form them.”

Further, hitting out at Congress’ for protesting on the issue, Bommai said, people are aware of their truth, and they are doing it for the sake of politics.

”Corruption, loot, murders, extortions that took place during Congress rule, 59 cases have been referred to Lokayukta, they will be inquired into and the truth will come out,” he said.