According to Lokayukta sources, Tehsildar Sachchidanand had allegedly demanded a total of Rs 1 crore in two instalments of Rs 50 lakh each, along with one acre of land, for allegedly altering ownership documents relating to 33 acres of land in Yerikoppa village.
Yerikoppa is located 12 kilometres from Dharwad and lies alongside the Pune-Bengaluru Highway. The alleged demand was made in connection with changes to documents concerning ownership of the 33-acre property.
The complainant, whose identity has not been disclosed, approached the Lokayukta and filed a complaint. Acting on the directions of the Lokayukta, the complainant was asked to meet the accused official near KCD and hand over Rs 50 lakh as the bribe amount.
The operation was conducted late Wednesday night. At around 10 pm, Lokayukta officials caught Tehsildar Sachchidanand Kuchanur red-handed while allegedly accepting the bribe from a landowner in front of Karnataka College in Dharwad.
The Lokayukta officials seized the alleged bribe amount and registered a corruption case against the Tehsildar. Further investigation is underway to examine the land documents, the alleged demand for the bribe and the possible involvement of other people in the case.
The Karnataka case comes shortly after an Anti-Corruption Bureau raid in Rajasthan's Bharatpur involving an Assistant Engineer. During the raid, the ACB recovered Rs 43.38 lakh in cash and 20 kilograms of silver bricks from the Assistant Engineer's residence. The official had been arrested red-handed while allegedly accepting a Rs 30,000 bribe at Bhusawar Panchayat Samiti.
According to ACB DG Govind Gupta, a complaint had been received by the Bharatpur police station alleging that the Assistant Engineer was demanding a bribe from a contractor. The contractor alleged that the bribe was being demanded in exchange for passing his bill.
The Dharwad case is now under further investigation, with Lokayukta officials examining the alleged land-record manipulation, the Rs 1 crore demand, the additional demand for one acre of land and whether others were involved in the alleged corruption case.
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