Daijiworld Media Network-Bengaluru (RJP)

Bengaluru, March 1: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials on Tuesday February 28, raided seven government officials in different parts of the state for owning disproportionate assets. They were surprised to find 7,000 sarees in one of the houses among them, belonging to an assistant commissioner from commercial tax department in Hubballi.

The officials raided across the state are: K T Nagaraju, chief engineer, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP); P D Kumar, executive engineer, Bangalore Development Authority; Kariappa Ningappa Kernel, assistant commissioner, Commercial Tax Department, Hubballi; Salim Sadu Sab Syed, deputy tahsildar, Hirebagevadi, Belagavi district; Karunakara M B, senior motor vehicle inspector, RTO, Chitradurga; Jagannath, executive officer, Aurad taluk panchayat, Bidar and Shivakumar Dollina, panchayat development officer, Yavagal gram panchayat, Gadag.

In Hubballi, when the ACB officials raided the house of Kariappa Ningappa Kernel, they found around 7,000 sarees belonging to his wife. It may be recalled that former chief minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa was found with 10,000 sarees years back when the income tax department had raided her house.

ACB officials also found new Rs 2,000 notes worth Rs 4 lacs stored in between those sarees found at Kariappa’s house. Each saree priced between Rs 300 to Rs 20,000. The total amount spent to buy those 7,000 sarees exceeds Rs 2 crore, said some officials. It is said that officials did not have any clue that the wife of the assistant commissioner of commercial tax department would have so many sarees.

In Bengaluru, the ACB sleuths searched the premises belonging to Nagaraj and Kumar and recovered documents of properties worth several crores. The officials seized documents pertaining to 40 acres of coffee estate in Belur in Hassan district from Nagaraj’s house at Jayanagar 3rd Block. The official also possessed 72 acres of coffee estate in Sakaleshpur in the name of his brother Chandrappa Gowda and friend Hardik Gowda, 27 acres coffee estate Belur in the name of his wife M B Roopa, 4 sites, two houses and a commercial complex in Mysuru. ACB sleuths found Rs 7 lakh in new currency and 800 gms of gold jewellery. The two lockers are yet to be verified, an official said.

The ACB officials found documents about a house each in Bengaluru and Davangere from the house of Kumar at Jayanagar 4th T block.

The raided official also owned a Rs 2 crore worth house in JP Nagar, another house near Sarakki signal in JP Nagar, a commercial complex in JP Nagar and four acres of agricultural land in Harapanahalli in Davangere district. The ACB sleuths have recovered Rs 2 lakh in cash from his residence.