55 lakh stashed in drainage pipe, ceiling at engineer's house

Bengaluru: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials conducting simultaneous raids on 68 locations across the State on Wednesday recovered more than Rs 50 lakh cash bundles stashed in a drainage pipe and ceiling of a house.

According to ACB sources, notes were also found hidden in sarees.

Officers raiding the residence of junior engineer Shanta Gouda Biradar in Kalaburagi discovered the bundles of currency notes worth Rs 13.50 lakh inside the house drainage pipes attached to the bathroom. They also recovered Rs 15 lakh cash from the ceiling of the house. In all, they seized more than Rs 55 lakh from his residence.

High drama was witnessed when Shanta Gouda did not answer the door for 15 minutes even as the team was continuously knocking on the door. They learnt that Shanta Gouda, along with his son, was busy stashing cash into the wash basin outlet.

After gaining entry, they had to cut open the pipe and confiscated Rs 13.50 lakh in cash.

Sources explained that Shanta Gouda had inherited two acres of land from his father and now owns more than 35 acres near Kalaburagi.

Similarly, ACB officers also bumped into wads of cash hidden in sarees in the house of L.C. Nagaraj, who works as an administrator of Sakala department. The officers also confiscated a bundle of dollars from the residence of Group 'C' employee Nataji Hiraji Patil in Belagavi.

From the Shivamogga residence of agricultural department officer Rudreshappa, the officers found Rs 3.50 crore worth of gold, including 60 gold biscuits of 100 grams, 8 gold biscuits of 50 grams, diamond necklaces and Rs 15 lakh in cash. He is presently working in Gadag district.

Sources said that earlier in the morning they learnt that Rajashekar, who worked as a physiotherapist at Yelahanka government hospital, has purchased three BDA sites, two revenue sites besides five acres of land in Doddaballapur taluk near Bengaluru. Most of the purchases were made during and post Covid pandemic.

Raids on 15 government officers by the team of more than 400 ACB officers, including 8 Superintendent of Police, 100 officers and 300 staff members were on till last reports came in.

The raids were being conducted in various locations of Bengaluru, Kalaburagi, Davanagere, Belagavi, Mangaluru districts since early Wednesday morning.