Bhartesh Shabannanavar, the superintendent in the office of the Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies in Belagavi, was caught by the Karnataka Lokayukta team while taking a bribe of ₹50,000 for registration of a society.
The complainant, Prashant Atmaram Kelgade from Sankeshwar, had applied for the registration of United Social and Sports Club.
The office superintendent, Bhartesh Shabannanavar, allegedly demanded ₹50,000 claiming that senior officers would have to be given a share of the amount. He refused to register the club till the bribe was paid and delayed the process by three weeks.
Prashant Atmaram Kelgade lodged a complaint on March 2. The Lokayukta police registered a case under Section 7(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Hanumantharaya, a team led by Deputy SP B.S. Patil and Inspector Niranjan Patil, caught the official red-handed while taking the bribe.
Forest officials arrested
In another case, a forest officer in Ramdurg and his colleague were arrested for demanding a bribe of ₹6,000 to avoid legal action under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The complainant had caught three pigeons using a net near the bridge on Malaprabha river in Ramdurg.
Mohammadsab Imamsab Musamiya (52), a forest watcher, and Deputy Range Forest Officer Vinayak Veerabhadra Gouda Patil (41) demanded ₹7,000 to drop the case. They took ₹6,000 on March 21 and demanded that the remaining ₹1,000 be handed over soon.
Lokayukta police filed a case under Section 7(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. They raided the forest office under the supervision of SP Hanumantharaya. A team led by DySP Bharat S.R. and Inspector S.H. Hosamani caught the accused while taking the bribe.
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