Karnataka extortion racket: Tainted babus sent call girls to lokayukta officials
Investigation had revealed that lokayukta officials received bribes from corrupt officials to avoid raids However, it has now been discovered that the corrupt officers also sent call girls to entertain lokayukta officials.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the multi-crore extortion racket in Karnataka's anti-corruption body lokayukta has made a stunning discovery.
Investigation had revealed that lokayukta officials received bribes from corrupt officials to avoid raids under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. However, it has now been discovered that the corrupt officers also sent call girls to entertain lokayukta officials, who later sent them to their friends.
On scanning the call details of the eight accused, the team found that they were in touch with over 100 call girls from New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The Bengaluru City Crime Branch (CCB) will now take over the case to investigate their role. Initially, the SIT sleuths were under the impression that these mobile phone numbers belonged to either victims of the extortion racket or their friends.
"But we found out that the mobile phone numbers belonged to call girls from different cities. Many of their numbers are found on the Internet on adult dating sites. We were shocked at the extent of the call girls' involvement in this racket. We will prepare an initial report and hand over the same to the Bengaluru CCB for a detailed probe," sources in the Karnataka police said.
The SIT officials have zeroed in on two-star hotels in the heart of Bengaluru where the call girls reportedly entertained the lokayukta officials and their friends. So far, 10 persons, including lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao's son Ashwin Rao, lokayukta PRO Syed Riyaz, three journalists and five RTI activists, have been arrested in connection with the extortion racket. They have been accused of collecting more than Rs 200 crore in cash from corrupt officials.
Nivarana Bhaskar, a journalist who was arrested in the case, allegedly confessed to have met the call girls and also sent them to entertain his friends. It is said that Bhaskar has agreed to become an approver in the case by testifying before the investigating officers.
"It is clear that they have (accused) splurged the money on call girls and their friends. We have also identified the agents of the call girls. A few of them operated from Hyderabad (where lokayukta justice's son Ashwin Rao stayed) and we will question them as well," sources added.
The police are expected to question lokayukta Justice Rao, who is on leave for a month, regarding the involvement of his son in the scam.