BENGALURU:The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged extortion racket in the Lokayukta conducted searches on eight premises on Thursday.
These include the houses and offices of those who had been arrested. Earlier in the day, the Lokayukta Special Court granted a search warrant against four accused.
Allowing an application filed by SIT, Special Court Judge V G Bopaiah issued search warrants valid till July 27 against accused Ashwin Y, son of Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, and also against those detained — Ashok Kumar, M B Srinivasa Gowda and Shankare Gowda. Ashwin’s house in Hebbal will be searched.
The SIT is collecting information from places where the accused had conducted their dealings. Ashok Kumar was arrested from his older sister’s house in Rajajinagar on Tuesday, Srinivasa Gowda from a flat on Magadi Road and Shankare Gowda from a hotel in Basaveshwara Nagar on Wednesday.
Searches were conducted at premises in Chandra Layout, Basaveshwara Nagar, Kempapura, Hebbal, Rajajinagar, on Magadi Road and two places in Kolar.
Officials of the SIT have collected crucial information from Lokayukta’s registrar (in-charge) M S Balakrishna on the names of staff members working when complainant Krishna Murthy was summoned to the office of the Lokayukta to give a bribe by PRO Syed Riyaz.
More on Syed Riyaz
When Lokayukta staff went to the PRO Syed Riyaz’s house in National Games Village, Koramangala, to serve him a notice regarding his application for extension of leave, they saw that the house was locked. Residents in the area informed the officials that the house has been lying locked for a while now.
Syed Riyaz has sent a modified application seeking an extension of 30 days for his leave from July 18 and a copy of the air tickets, sought by the Lokayukta registrar, to confirm that he visited Mecca and Medina as he mentioned while applying for the leave.
These were brought to Balakrishna by police constable Pramod on Thursday. However, the registrar is yet to verify these.
One More Detained
SIT detained one more accused Hotte Krishna on Thursday and he will be produced before the court on Friday, sources said.
AAP Petition
Representatives of Aam Aadmi Party submitted papers containing 25,000 signatures to the registrar demanding the resignation of Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao. AAP leaders Prithiv Reddy and Shivakumar submitted this and a representation to the registrar. Sources said the registrar will place the papers before Justice Rao on Friday.