Karnataka
Karnataka BJP MLA named key accused after raids; son caught red-handed taking bribe
Bengaluru/IBNS: A Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA has been named as the main accused in a raid where cash worth over Rs. 8 crores was found during searches at his home and office while his bureaucrat son was caught accepting a bribe, officials said on Friday.
This has caused a huge embarrassment for the saffron party which is trying to woo voters for elections later this year.
The anti-corruption wing of the Lokayukta, the state's ombudsman, recovered Rs. 6 crores in cash from the home of BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa and Rs. 1.75 crores from his office.
Meanwhile, his son Prashanth Madal was caught taking a bribe on Thursday.
According to reports, the MLA is untraceable and has applied for pre-arrest bail. The search went on till late in the night.
Madal Virupakshappa, the MLA from Channagiri in the Davanagere district, was the chairman of the state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which makes the famous Mysore Sandal Soap.
He resigned from his post this morning as the scandal broke. His son is the chief accountant at Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
"There is some conspiracy against my family. I'm submitting resignation under moral responsibility as there is an allegation against me," Virupakshappa said in a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
His son was Thursday caught red-handed as he was taking a bribe of Rs. 40 lakhs.
The "successful" trap was laid at the office of the state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd (KSDL).
Chief Minister Bommai said the ombudsman will conduct an independent investigation. He also attacked the opposition Congress.
"We have re-established Lokayukta to curb corruption. During the Congress regime, with Lokayukta dissolved, a lot of cases were closed. We will investigate the cases which were closed. Lokayukta is an independent institution and our stand is clear. The institution will investigate independently, and we will not interfere in it," he said.
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