Eighth arrest in Karnataka Lokayukta extortion scam

A photo journalist cum RTI activist has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka police in connection with an extortion racket within the Karnataka Lokayukta involving the Lokayukta's son Ashwin Rao.

A photo journalist cum RTI activist has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka police in connection with an extortion racket within the Karnataka Lokayukta involving the Lokayukta’s son Ashwin Rao. Rajashekhar, a resident of Tiptur in Tumkur district, is the eighth person to be arrested by the SIT, since it began investigations into the extortion racket last month.

Rajashekhar was remanded to seven days police custody for further investigations in the case.

The SIT has so far registered three cases against Lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rao’s son Ashwin Rao and a syndicate operating with him to extort money from government officials after threatening to bring corruption cases against them.

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SIT sources said that Rajashekhar was a close associate of Bhaskar alias 420 Bhaskar who functioned as a secretary to Ashwin Rao and was recently arrested by the SIT.

Police said that Rajashekhar was employed as a photographer in a tabloid that was being published by Bhaskar before he turned into an RTI activist who used to identify government officials to be targetted for extortion by others including Bhaskar and Ashwin.

Others arrested in the case so far include the Lokayukta PRO Syed Riyazathullah and a journalist M B Sreenivasa Gowda. The gang collected details of government officials handling cost intensive projects and extorted money from them by threatening Lokayukta corruption charges, the SIT has alleged.

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