Karnataka extortion racket: Lokayukta’s PRO is now a key suspect

SIT sources said they are using cell phone location data of the suspects to try and gather more evidence — like CCTV footage and other details from places where the alleged extortionists held meetings.

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Analysis of telephone calls of one of the three persons arrested in the racket, Ashok Kumar, has revealed that he was allegedly in constant touch with the PRO.

A realtor, Kumar was the first person to be arrested in the case by the SIT on July 21. He is accused of being the one who called a government executive engineer on May 4, 2015, asking him to come to the Lokayukta office where an extortion demand for Rs 1 crore was allegedly made.

Kumar has been identified by the SIT as an associate of the Lokayukta’s son Ashwin Rao, who is accused by the government officer of confronting him with the extortion demand on May 4 in the Lokayukta’s office.

In his complaint to the Lokayukta police regarding the extortion demand, the government executive engineer, M N Krishnamurthy, alleged that the man who called him on May 4 to the Lokayukta office had claimed to be a joint commissioner in the Lokayukta. The PRO is currently the only person designated as a joint commissioner in the Lokayukta.

The PRO has been on leave for nearly a month, despite the Lokayukta registrar denying extension of leave. Sources said it is possible that he is outside India, and the SIT is looking at the option of issuing a lookout notice for him.
The SIT Saturday sealed the office of the PRO at the Lokayukta building and asked officials to contact them when he returns.

The PRO has been in the Lokayukta institution longer than any other official. He has served three Lokayuktas —Justice M N Venkatachala, Justice Santosh Hegde and Justice Rao.

The extortionists linked to the Lokayukta’s son are accused of using an elaborate set-up involving SIM cards obtained using fake identities, RTI applications and other means to extort money from hundreds of government officials in Karnataka.

Until May 7, 2015, when Krishnamurthy decided to approach the police, no complaint had been filed by state officials.

The extortion racket has created a furore in Karnataka, especially with Justice Rao refusing to step down. It has resulted in the state Congress government drafting an amendment law to expedite removal of Lokayuktas. Three persons have been arrested in the case so far, including former journalist Srinivase Gowda and RTI activist Shankare Gowda, who were allegedly used by the extortionists to obtain information through RTIs to target government officials for extortion.

The PRO’s cell phone remained unreachable when efforts were made to contact him.