Pramesh S Jain
In a Major Anti-Corruption crackdown,the Karnataka Lokayukta police on Tuesday arrested senior officials of the Excise Department for allegedly demanding and accepting a hefty bribe to clear liquor-related licences.
Those arrested have been identified as Jagadeesh Naik, Excise Deputy Commissioner(Bengaluru Urban District–8),and Thammanna K.M,Superintendent of Excise.An Excise constable,Lakkappa Gani,has also been named as an accused in the case.
The action followed a complaint filed by Lakshminarayana,who alleged that the officials demanded Rs.80 lakh as a bribe for facilitating the issuance of a CL-7 (bar) licence and a microbrewery licence.
Acting on the complaint,the Lokayukta police laid a trap and caught the officials red-handed while accepting Rs.25 lakh,reportedly the first instalment of the bribe.
According to official sources,the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent were taken into custody,along with another department employee who was found carrying the bribe amount.
A case has been registered under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act,1988 (as amended in 2018).Further investigation is underway, and additional searches are likely in connection with the case.
