Haveri: In a major anti-corruption operation, the Lokayukta police in Haveri district on Saturday arrested three officials from the Hanagal taluk office for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹12,000. Those arrested include a shirastedar (revenue officer) and two second division assistants (SDAs).
According to Lokayukta police, the action was taken based on a complaint filed by Naveen Basanagouda Patil of Bommanahalli village in Hanagal taluk. The accused have been identified as shirastedar Tammanna Kamble, SDA Goolappa Managooli, and SDA Shivanand Badiger. They were allegedly caught red-handed while accepting the bribe at the taluk office.
Speaking to Prajavani, Lokayukta Police Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Madhusudan said that the bribe was demanded for rectifying a land record (RTC or pahani document). “The complainant’s acquaintance, Shankrappa Gumagundi, had applied to the Hanagal tahsildar’s office to correct the pahani under the KDT rules. The officials had demanded ₹12,000 to process the correction. Acting swiftly on the complaint, our team conducted a trap operation and caught the accused while accepting the money,” he explained.
The Lokayukta team seized the bribe amount and other related documents during the operation. All three accused were taken into custody and are being interrogated for further information about possible involvement of other officials in the bribery network.
The arrest has once again exposed the continuing menace of corruption in local revenue offices, where citizens often face demands for bribes to get routine land and property-related work done. Further investigation is underway to determine whether similar illegal practices were taking place in other departments of the Hanagal taluk office.
