Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)
Kundapur, May 3: Udupi Lokayukta officials on Saturday May 3 raided the taluk sub treasury office at and caught second division assistant Sadananda red-handed accepting bribe.
Retired teacher Irene Sahadevi, a resident of Church road, had gone to the office of the sub treasury along with her son on March 24 to receive a cheque of Rs 13,326 towards her monthly pension for April.
It is alleged that Sadananda had asked Irene Sahadevi's son to go out and told the retired teacher to pay Rs 5,000 in order to get the pension.
It is said that twelve retired teachers had been made to pay Rs 5,000 each to Sadananda in the past to get their pensions, and Surendra, a person who came to know about it reportedly had informed Lokayukta about it.
When Irene called Sadananda and asked him if she could come to take the cheque on May 2, he said that it was a holiday and told her to come on May 3 with Rs 5,000. When Irene negotiated and said she would pay Rs 3,000 instead, he reportedly said that was not enough as he had to distribute the amount among his colleagues. Irene who recorded the conversation complained to the Lokayukta.
The Lokayukta officials set a trap and instructed her to pay Rs 5,000 in cash to Sadananda in his office on May 3 and take her cheque. Irene did as directed.
The Lokayukta officials who were waiting there caught Sadananda red-handed and registered a case. He was arrested and produced in the Kundapur sessions court.