INDIA: Major setback for Bharatiya Janata Party as Karnataka BJP MLA K Madal Virupakshappa’s son V Prashant Madal, a chief accountant with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), got arrested in changes to corruption.
BJP MLA’s son was caught red-handed while accepting a lump sum of money as a bribe from a private individual at the Crescent Road office of his father.
According to ground reports, the chief accountant received Rs 40 lakh in his father’s office without any proper information. According to the police, Prashant’s father, who is a chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd. (K&SDL), is involved in the case as the bribe is meant for him and was accepted by his son on his behalf.
The actual handling was demanded at Rs 81 lakh, of which half the amount was given. Surprisingly, Rs 1.2 crore was found in the BJP MLA’s office, where the crime was put into action.
Following that, a team from Lokayukta police conducted a raid at Prashant’s residence in Dollars Colony, Sanjaynagar, where they recovered unaccounted hard cash totaling Rs 6 crore.
Meanwhile, both the father and son are brought into custody for further investigation. Previously, Prashant had worked with the now-defunct Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) as a financial adviser and has insider knowledge of all the functions.
Talking about Madal Virupakshappa, he ruled his state as a two-time MLA from the Channagiri constituency in the Davangere district. He had earlier disclosed assets worth Rs 5.73 crore in his affidavit for the 2018 Assembly elections. In the 2013 elections, he declared assets worth Rs 1.79 crore but unfortunately lost to Vadnal Rajanna, who is from Indian National Congress.
Now, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, in his statement, said, “Lokayukta searched the home of an MLA’s son. All I can say is that the Lokayukta was shut down during the administration of Congress, and its re-establishment is intended to combat corruption in the state.”
He added, “I’ve previously stated that a fair and impartial investigation will be conducted. Our goal is to penalise the offenders for their actions. Lokayukta has all the information; who paid for it, where it came from, and other pertinent information should be revealed.”
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