UDUPI: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials recovered Rs 3.08 lakh unaccounted-for cash from the residential quarters of former Kundapur assistant commissioner Dr SS Madhukeshwar on Thursday. Interestingly, the KAS officer was recently transferred and relieved from duty on September 19.ACB DySP Dinakar Shetty and other sleuths recovered documents, revenue court files and Rs 3.08 lakh cash. Madhukeshwar allegedly could not explain the source of the cash to the officials.
Interestingly, though he was transferred and handed over charge to a new officer on September 16, Madhukeshwar continued to handle the revenue court files from his quarters. He was allegedly charging Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh to clear each pending file. Madhukeshwar was earlier working as a land acquisition officer in Dharwad before taking charge as the AC in Kundapur some months back.
ACB sources told TNIE that they were tipped off by an advocate on Wednesday about Madhukeshwar handling revenue court files and the raid was planned for Thursday. Taking permission from the Kundapur special court on Thursday, the ACB sleuths issued a search warrant against Madhukeshwar and he reportedly cooperated.
Though Madhukeshwar had the right to stay in the quarters for a period of one month from the relieving date, his handling of files had made the ACB officials suspect him. The ACB officials recovered 24 files from him. Collecting Rs 1.28 lakh cash from a person on Wednesday, he allegedly handed over it to his subordinate, a village account, to keep it with him.
On Thursday, he allegedly collected Rs 1.80 lakh from another person to clear a land dispute petition. DySP Dinesh Shetty said that the search was likely to go on till 12 am as the staffers who worked with Madhukeshwar in the Kundapur sub-division office have also been summoned for questioning. A case is registered under section 7 (a) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.