Lokayukta officials raid ex-govt clerk's home, uncover Rs 30-cr assets
Kalakappa Nidagundi, a former KRIDL clerk, allegedly embezzled Rs 72 crore through fake projects, acquiring 24 houses and 40 acres of land
Karnataka Lokayukta officials on Friday (August 1) raided the residence of a former clerk at the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL), uncovering unaccounted assets worth over Rs 30 crore.
The officials found out that Kalakappa Nidagundi, who worked in Koppal and earned a monthly salary of ₹15,000, was found to possess properties worth crores registered in his name, as well as in the names of his wife and brother.
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Fake projects scam
Nidagundi allegedly owns assets worth Rs 30 crore, which include 24 houses, four plots, and 40 acres of agricultural land.
Authorities also reportedly recovered 350 grams of gold, 1.5 kg of silver ornaments, and four vehicles — two cars and two two-wheelers.
The discovery came during a Lokayukta-led crackdown targeting government officials suspected of amassing wealth more than the declared sources of income or misusing official positions for personal gain.
Nidagundi and a former KRIDL engineer, ZM Chincholkar, are accused of embezzling over Rs 72 crore by generating fake documents and bills for 96 incomplete infrastructure projects.
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Investigation ongoing
The raid followed a formal complaint lodged with the Lokayukta, after which officials conducted an inspection with a court order, leading to the shocking discovery of the extensive assets.
Koppal MLA K Raghavendra Hitnal has reportedly assured that the government is taking the incident seriously and will conduct a detailed investigation to ensure appropriate legal action is taken.
Authorities are now working to determine whether the assets were accumulated through corrupt practices during Nidagundi’s tenure or via the fake billing racket in collusion with Chincholkar after his service ended.
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Lokayukta crackdown
This raid is part of a broader series of operations by the Lokayukta against government employees suspected of amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.
According to reports, 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.
These investigations have been spearheaded by a Lokayukta team led by CPI Parashuram Kavatagi and supervised by Dy SP Pushpalatha and Officer PS Patil, who are closely examining property documents, cash reserves, and financial records as part of the ongoing probes.