Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Dec 20: The Lokayukta police, who raided the house of Yelahanka MLA, S R Vishwanath’s houses and office on Monday December 19 morning, have unearthed 2.6 kg gold, 11 kg silver, 17 lac rupees in cash, household goods worth Rs 40 lac, Rs 1.5 lac worth foreign currency notes, documents relating to 65 acres of farm land, two apartments, and two other buildings. The above items include the ones found deposited in two lockers owned by Vishwanath’s wife, Vanishree, in Farmers Cooperative Agricultural Bank in Singanayakanahalli, said Lokayukta superintendent of police, Shivashankar.

Shashidhar, who had complained to the Lokayukta about the assets of Vishwanath, which he said, are much beyond his means, alleged that Vishwanath had arranged to safe-keep the documents relating to property he had acquired in fake names elsewhere, as soon as the Lokayukta special court ordered an inquiry against him. Shashidhar said that Vishwanath also owns 125 acres of agricultural land in Vidurashwatha in Gauribidanoor, 110 acres of land in Varagani in Manchenahalli revenue division, and apartment in Nagashettihalli. He added that Vishwanath also owns Gangadhareshwara marriage hall at Kodigehalli here in someone else’s name.

Three Lokayukta teams had simultaneously raided houses owned by Vishwanath at Singanayakanahalli, Rajanukunte, Hebbal and also his office at Yelahanka New Town.

The legislator owns two flats in Coffee Board Lay Out in the city, worth crores of rupees, two buildings in Rajanukunte village, and two buildings in Bhuvaneshwara Nagar. The raids continued till evening.

The complainant had pointed out that Vishwanath, who was an employee of Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd from 1985 to 2005, had amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income after he became an MLA.  Through various documents, he had alleged that the market value of the assets owned by the MLA is around Rs 77 crore, although documents show the value as nine crore rupees.