Lokayukta traps Shivamogga District Fire Officer over ₹1 lakh bribe
Karnataka Lokayukta Police arrested District Fire Officer B.R. Ashok Kumar in Shivamogga for allegedly taking a ₹1 lakh bribe for a fire safety NOC.
The Karnataka Lokayukta Police on Thursday arrested the District Fire Officer of Shivamogga, B.R. Ashok Kumar, allegedly while he was accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh at his office.
The money was allegedly demanded from a representative of a private school in exchange for a fire safety no-objection certificate. According to the available information, Anoop, who represents Nandagokula School in Shikaripur, had approached the officer for the certificate.
Kumar allegedly sought ₹1 lakh to issue the document. Instead of paying, the school representative lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta Police.
Acting on the complaint, officials laid a trap under the supervision of DySP B.P. Chandrashekhar. The officer was caught in the act of receiving the amount, the DySP said, adding that he remains in custody and that the investigation is continuing.
Bribery traps conducted by the anti-corruption wing typically involve chemically treated currency notes, which are used to establish that the money changed hands. The Lokayukta Police are now pursuing the case against the accused officer.