Rs 30 crore assets, 24 houses, 40-acre land: Lokayukta raids ex-Karnataka clerk whose salary was just Rs 15,000

The assets were registered under his name, as well as the names of his wife and her brother. (Image: News18)

The Lokayukta on Friday conducted a raid at the residence of Kalakappa Nidagundi, a former clerk at Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL), and uncovered unaccounted assets valued at more than Rs 30 crore.

Nidagundi, who was posted in Koppal and earned a monthly salary of just Rs 15,000, was found to own 24 houses, four plots, and 40 acres of farmland. The assets were registered under his name, as well as the names of his wife and her brother, according to a report by News18.

Authorities also seized 350 grams of gold, 1.5 kg of silver ornaments, and four vehicles, including two cars and two two-wheelers.

According to a report by News18, Nidagundi and former KRIDL Engineer ZM Chincholkar are accused of embezzling over Rs 72 crore by creating fake documents and bills for 96 projects that were never completed.

After a complaint was made to the Lokayukta, officials conducted a raid leading to the shocking discovery of the extensive assets.

The raids at Nidagundi's residence is the latest in a series of such crackdown by Lokayukta officials to unearth disproportionate assets in Karnataka.

According to news agency ANI, the officers who came under investigation in disproportionate assets cases, included Jayanna R, Executive Engineer, National Highway Hassan Division in Hassan; K Omprakash, Senior Assistant Director of Horticulture, BDA, Bengaluru; N Venkatesh, Tax Accessor, Shettyhalli Sub-Division, BBMP, Bengaluru, Venkatesh G, Taluk Health Officer, Hiriyur Taluk, Chitradurga District and Anjaneya Murthy M, Junior Engineer, Rural Drinking Water and Sanitization Department, Gowribidanuru Tq, Chikkaballapur District.

As part of these raids, a team of Lokayukta officials, led by CPI Parashuram Kavatagi and supervised by Dy SP Pushpalatha and Officer PS Patil, has been examining documents, cash holdings, and property records.