ACB raids premises of 21 officials in Karnataka

Personnel of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Karnataka raided the offices and premises of 21 officials, who are suspected to have amassed assets disproportionate to their known sources of income, at 80 locations, ACB authorities said on Friday.

Also Read: Huge ACB crackdown in K’taka: 18 officials raided, across 75 locations

The exercise started from early in the morning on Friday in which 300 officers and staff took part, the ACB said. The officials found valuables and cash, besides investment documents, sources in the ACB said. They, however, did not share details as the raids were still underway. 

Those who were raided include engineers in the Irrigation department, public works department and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. A police inspector, District Registrar in the office of the Inspector General of Registration, Road Transport Officer, a Project Director of the Nirmiti Kendra, Panchayat grade-2 secretary in Gadag district and assistant comptroller in the veterinary department were also among those whose premises were raided.

Most recently, a group of conmen posed as ACB officials in Karnataka in the backdrop of several raids conducted by them this year in the hope to extort money. These conmen were on a hunt for various government officials in the state, targeting BESCOM and officials from other departments.

The ACB this year has targeted officials across government departments, going from the Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), seizing precious metals, documents, cars and other valuables.