Addressing the arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Madal Virupakshappa's son, Prashanth Madal, for allegedly accepting a Rs 40 lakh bribe, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said:
"Lokayukta has raided the son of an MLA. All I can say is that the reason for restarting the Lokayukta is to curb corruption in the state, without Lokayukta many such cases were found and closed during Congress rule."
This comes just weeks before the Karnataka Assembly elections, after months of the corruption allegations against the CM Bommai-government.
He added, "I have said earlier also that an independent and fair investigation will be done. That's why our aim is to punish the culprits. Lokayukta has all the details, whose money was it, where did it come from, everything should come out," ANI quoted him as saying.
What happened: Lokayukta officers on Thursday, 2 March, caught and arrested the son of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Madal Virupakshappa - Prashanth Madal, while he was allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 40 lakh.
Who is the accused? Prashanth, a Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer, is the chief accountant of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). His father, Virupakshappa, is an MLA from the Channagiri constituency in the Davanagere district.
How did the arrest happen? The Lokayukta arrested Prashanth while he was allegedly receiving the bribe on behalf of his father, who is also the Chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which makes the brand 'Mysore Sandal Soap'.
How was the trap set up? Prashanth had allegedly demanded Rs 81 lakh in exchange for granting a tender to procure raw materials for KSDL, as per media reports. This was conveyed to Lokayukta officials through a complaint, who then raided the MLA's office at Crescent road in Bengaluru.
An official was quoted as saying, "The money was received on behalf of the KSDL chairman Virupakshappa for raw material procurement. The trap was laid at 6.45 pm. Chairman of KSDL and the accused, who received money, are father-and-son."
What's more? Lokyakuta booked the father-son duo under the Prevention of Corruption Act, after officials discovered unaccounted-for cash worth Rs 1.79 crore, including the bribe amount.
On Friday, as the investigations continue, nearly Rs 6 crore, was found in unaccounted-for cash at the residence of Prashant Madal. Karnataka Lokayukta BS Patil informed a total of Rs 8.12 crore was seized from Prashanth's house and the MLA's office, apart from Rs 40 lakh bribe. Five people have been apprehended so far.
Following the raids, the BJP MLA resigned as the Chairman of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited.
Reactions: Calling it the "tip of the iceberg," Congress renewed its "40 percent sarkara" jibe, and posted the video showing piles of cash being discovered.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Priyank Kharge said, "It's high time that CM should resign...if he thinks he's done great work then dissolve the assembly and go for election right now. Where is CBI, where is the IT, where is the ED now...Mr Amit Shah is coming right? He should get his team and come."
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