BUDA Commissioner and member arrested

Bidar: The Lokayukta police apprehended two senior officials of the Bidar Urban Development Authority (BUDA) and a middleman for allegedly demanding a bribe to release sites in a BUDA layout.

The arrests took place based on a complaint received by a complainant, who alleged that a bribe of Rs. 50 lakh was demanded by BUDA Commissioner Shrikant Chimmakode and member Chandrashekhar Reddy. Acting on the complaint, Lokayukta police set up a trap and caught the accused red-handed while accepting Rs. 10 lakh, a portion of the demanded sum. The operation unfolded near Pratap Nagar in Bidar, where Siddu Hugar, allegedly acting on behalf of the commissioner and member, was intercepted while receiving the bribe money. Meanwhile, the commissioner and member were detained near a hotel in Bidar and subsequently taken to the Lokayukta police station near Bal Bhavan.

Following the arrests, security around the Lokayukta police station was heightened. The accused were presented before the Lokayukta court and have been remanded to judicial custody. The seized bribe money was taken into evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.