BENGALURU: Tension prevailed again at the Lokayukta office on Thursday after the security staff found a 57-year-woman, who was about to enter an officer’s chamber, carrying a kitchen knife with her.
Vidhana Soudha police, who were alerted about this, arrested the woman, identified as Sonia Rani alias Sonu. Just a week ago, Karnataka Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanath Shetty reported to work after recovering from stab wounds inflicted on him by a despondent 33-year-old Tejraj Sharma inside his office chamber. Tejraj had stabbed Justice Shetty for not entertaining his petitions on corruption in government offices.
A senior police officer from Vidhana Soudha said, “Around 11.30 am, Sonia was apprehended when the metal detector installed at the Lokayukta building’s entrance started beeping continuously. She had crossed the security area and immediately a policewoman stopped her for check. They thoroughly checked her bag and and were shocked to see a small kitchen knife in a file Sonia was carrying. Senior officers at the Lokayukta were informed and the knife and her bag were seized.
The woman police constable Asma Bhanu lodged a complaint against Sonia and she was interrogated before taking for medical tests. “Preliminary investigations revealed Sonia, who claims to be a resident of Hosahalli in Vijayanagar in the city, had submitted several petitions to the Lokayukta office regarding a property dispute. She had come to file another petition as she was upset that not much had happened regarding her earlier petitions,” police said.
However, police are puzzled by her differing statements. When she was taken into police custody, she claimed she was the wife of late Rajiv Gandi and that she had come from Italy. Later, she claimed she was from Mysuru and then started giving different statements to the police.
“She said her son was admitted in KR Hospital in Mysuru and thus she was carrying a knife to cut fruits for him. She kept the knife inside a file as she knew that the security staff would check her bag before she entered into the officer’s chamber. Once the medical tests are over she will be handed over to judicial custody,” the officer added.
Eight complaints filed
A Lokayukta souce said Sonia had filed eight complaints before Lokayukta including against former DG&IGP and the Mysore royal family. She had accused the former police chief of not taking action on her complaint and the royal family of not giving her share of land in Mysuru. Among eight complaints, six were rejected by the Upa Lokayuktas and one by the Lokayukta as they are baseless. One more complaint is pending before the Lokayukta. Suspecting the credentials of Sonia Rani, as she was known for filing baseless complaints by giving different addresses in different complaints, the Lokayukta police are said to have conducted an inquiry a few days back and submitted a confidential report to the Lokayukta. This apart, it has come to light that she had mentioned her husband’s name as ‘Rajiv Gandhi’ in a affidavit along with one of her complaint.