Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Nov 11: The Lokayukta police have arrested tahsildar of the city (south) taluk, Dayanand, on the allegation of alienating a property to the name of a deceased individual. Dayanand, who was summoned to the office of the Lokayukta on Monday morning, was subjected to questioning, and arrested in the evening.

Lokayukta police had raided the residence of Dayanand on the basis of allegation that Dayanand had wrongly alienated 1.34 acres of land granted by the government to Vijaya Bank Employees Housing Society on Bannerghatta Road herem to a deceased person. Lokayukta superintendent of police, Sonia Narang, said that the police found that Dayanand had played a key role in the illegal land transfer. It is also alleged that Dayanand tried to remove contents of his bank locker before the officials checked his locker on Monday morning. The Lokayukta police came to know about this attempt and questioned the official after summoning him to their office. Dayanand was arrested after they checked the contents of the locker.

Surprisingly, Dayanand lives in a small house having only one room which has nothing else but a sofa that can accommodate two persons. Dayanand's wife is a medical practitioner. It is said that in his statement recorded with the special investigation team, Dayanand had stated that Syed Riaz, who is in custody relating to unfair deals in Lokayukta, had called him and threatened to raid his home. People close to Dayanand claim that he started to reside in this small house after getting the said call.

The government had issued order in 1983, sanctioning 111.18 acres of land to Vijaya Bank Employees Housing Cooperative Society at Bilekahalli in Begur revenue division. In 1984, final notification was issued. After distributing sites, as per the government rules, 1.34 acres of land in survey Nos 114/2 was reserved for public use, which was later returned to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. An application in the name of a person named Abbayyappa, who had died in 2001, had been submitted in 2013 for land conversion. This application was upheld, and after land conversion, it was sold to a person named Yathiraj.