2 Karnataka officials arrested for demanding bribe of Rs 30,000 for minor e-khata correction

Divakar, a resident of the district, had approached the officials with a request to make a correction in the e-khata of a property but the accused officials allegedly demanded Rs 30,000 for it.

Divakar filed a complaint before the Lokayukta police, which then laid a trap and Suresh was allegedly caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000. Ali was subsequently arrested.

E-khata is an electronic property certificate that maintains ownership information in an online database, serving as an alternative to the traditional paper-based khata. It aims to improve transparency, eliminate fraudulent dealings or duplicate transactions, and simplify the process.

Smart City chief engineer held

In another incident, the Lokayukta police arrested M Krishnappa, chief engineer in charge of the Shivamogga Smart City project, for demanding a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from an executive of a private firm.

Extreme Private Limited had secured a 2019 tender to manage ads on seven digital display boards and the Smart City office owed the firm Rs 11.16 lakh. Krishnappa allegedly demanded a bribe from Pavan M S, the firm’s executive site engineer, to process the pending payment.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, Pavan filed a complaint with the police, which arrested Krishnappa while he was allegedly accepting the bribe.

An officer said that Krishnappa had retired as a chief engineer but sought an extension.