TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Bangalore, Mar 14: This senior IPS officer demanded Rs 25,000 from a quarry owner to file a B-report in a criminal case. Little did he realize that he was under the scanner. Even before Chamarajnagar superintendent of police Srikantappa B could count the booty, Lok Ayukta sleuths swooped down and caught him red-handed while accepting the bribe on Thursday morning.
In one of the first traps involving a senior IPS officer holding an executive post, sleuths arrested Srikantappa and his agent Subbanna who clinched the deal for him.
Srikantappa had also allegedly demanded a monthly ‘royalty’ of Rs 50,000 to allow the businessman Farooq Jamal to continue his business. Following the arrest, sleuths raided his house in Mysore and official residence in Chamarajnagar to search for assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Farooq had a dispute with a local forest officer in connection over transportation of sand-laden trucks. He lodged a complaint of assault against the forester. The forester filed a counter-complaint, accusing Farooq of obstructing the government officer from discharging his duty.
A local DySP, who conducted the investigation, found the forester’s allegation baseless, and was all set to file a B report before the court. The SP reportedly directed the DySP not to file the B report until further orders from him.
Later, Farooq was contacted by Subbanna, a private man, said to be Srikantappa’s agent, who demanded Rs Rs 50,000 as monthly royalty and a one-time bribe of Rs 25,000 to file a B report in his favour.
Farooq approached the Lok Ayukta police in Mysore and a complaint was registered. “As the accused was a senior IPS officer holding an executive post, the police decided to send a team from Bangalore. After a conversation between the SP and the complainant was recorded, a team under a DIG was sent to Chamarajnagar on Thursday morning,’’ Lok Ayukta Justice Santhosh Hegde told reporters.
On behalf of Farooq, his manager Akbar was sent to the SP’s house along with Subbanna. When Srikantappa accepted the money, the team arrested him. “This case is the 74th trap in 73 days in 2008. The phenolphthalein test on the currency is also positive. Both the SP and his private agent Subbanna have been arrested,’’ Justice Hegde said.
An IPS officer of 1995 batch, Srikantappa served as the SP in Haveri before his transfer to Chamarajnagar. He had served as a DySP in Puttur.