FIR against BDA officials for receiving Rs 1.70 Cr bribe in K'taka

Bengaluru, Nov 17 (IANS) An FIR has been registered against the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) Deputy Commissioner and two others in connection with allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 1.70 crore and cheating a homemaker after promising to get a compensation for acquired land, police said on Wednesday.

Hema S. Raju, the 45-year old homemaker, a resident of Jayanagar, has lodged the complaint against BDA Deputy Commissioner Shivaraj, BDA officer Mahesh Kumar and broker Mohan Kumar with the R.T. Nagar police station.

The complainant has alleged that the accused Mohan Kumar had even threatened to get her killed by giving 'supari' if she continued to make phone calls to him.

The complainant Hema had been approaching BDA for a compensation amount for her 2.34 acre land in Hennur and Srirampura localities of Bengaluru, acquired for development of Arkavathi Layout in 2013.

The woman said that the accused officer Mahesh Kumar told her that another accused Shivaraj had kept her files pending and got him transferred from the Land Acquisition.

Mahesh Kumar further told her that if she wanted her work to be done, he should again get the same posting. He also told her that for doing that they will have to talk to accused Mohan Kumar, a broker.

Accordingly, the complainant met Mohan Kumar in January, 2020. He demanded Rs 1.50 crore bribe to get the compensation amount released. She gave Rs 50 lakh bribe on the same day, the complainant said in her plea.

She said after this Mahesh Kumar was transferred to the Land Acquisition department to facilitate the movement of her files. BDA Deputy Commissioner Shivaraj had taken Rs 20 lakh as bribe at this juncture, she said.

"In a phased manner the three accused got a total amount of Rs 1.10 crore from me. Accused Mohan Kumar kept on calling me and took Rs 60 lakh in addition after blackmailing that he would stall the movement of my file. But, even after paying money, I didn't get the compensation amount," she mentioned in her complaint.

When Hema contacted accused Shivaraj, he told that he was transferred to a different post and he is not concerned with her case any more. Broker Mohan Kumar threatened her that he would get her killed if she pursued the case. The police are now investigating her complaint.