A huge corruption has taken place in Karnataka, where a former clerk of the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited has found in possession of unaccounted assets worth ₹30 crore. The discovery of the assets came after recent raid by the Karnataka Lokayukta in Koppal.
The Ex-clerk identified, Kalakappa Nidagundi, whose monthly salary was Rs 15,000. During the riad it has revealed that he owned 24 houses, four plots, 40 acres of farmland. And also a staggering amount of wealth disproportionate to his known income. Many of these assets are registered under his name, as well as those of his wife and brother.
According to reports by NDTV and India Today, the Lokayukta team also recovered 350 grams of gold worth nearly ₹30 lakh, 1.5 kg of silver, two cars, and two two-wheelers.
How did the Karnataka Ex-Clerk make Rs.30 Crore Assets
Nidagundi allegedly worked with former KRIDL engineer ZM Chincholkar to generate fake bills for 96 incomplete infrastructure projects. This fraudulent activity is estimated to have resulted in an embezzlement of over ₹72 crore.
The illegal assets were hidden under various names, with property records being traced back to his wife and brother, as part of a suspected larger money laundering network.
The Lokayukta raid on Nidagundi is part of a wider campaign against government corruption in Karnataka. Several other government officials have recently come under investigation, including:
- Jayanna R, Executive Engineer, National Highway Hassan Division
- K Omprakash, Senior Assistant Director of Horticulture, BDA, Bengaluru
- N Venkatesh, Tax Assessor, BBMP, Bengaluru
- Venkatesh G, Taluk Health Officer, Chitradurga
- Anjaneya Murthy M, Junior Engineer, Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, Chikkaballapur
The raid operation was led by CPI Parashuram Kavatagi, and supervised by Dy SP Pushpalatha and Officer PS Patil. The investigation team is examining property records, bank statements, gold holdings, and other documents to build a case for disproportionate assets.
