BENGALURU: The police wing of Karnataka Lokayukta raided nine Regional Transport Office (RTO) checkposts of the Transport Department across the state in the wee hours of Friday and recovered lakhs of unaccounted-for money, including Rs 14,000 that was allegedly thrown out of the window by Senior Motor Vehicle Inspector Lakshmi at Attibele checkpost in Bengaluru Rural district, after she notice the officials. At this checkpost alone, Rs 62,227 was seized.
According to a Lokayukta statement, the search came following a report submitted by the police into rampant irregularities at checkposts on suo-motu proceedings initiated by Lokayukta Justice BS Patil after he found large scale irregularities at a checkpost in Vijayapura district.
Following the search warrants issued under Section 10 of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, the Lokayukta police started a search operation at 4.30 am on Friday under the guidance of ADGP Prashanth Kumar Thakur.
The highest unaccounted for money of Rs 4,53,611 found at Dhulkhed check post at Zalaki in Vijayapura, followed by Rs 3,62,010 at Konganahalli check post at Nippani in Belagavi district. It was found that Lakshmi, an RTO Inspector, at Attibele checkpost in Bengaluru rural district, threw Rs 14,000 unaccounted for money through the window after seeing the Lokayukta officers.
This apart, Rs 1,54,536 was seized at Bolkere check post, Rs 54,900 at Godal village checkpost in Ballari, Rs 9,779 at Gundlupet check post in Chamarajanagara, Rs 6,584 at Nangli checkpost in Kolar. In two checkposts at Hosapete and Boodagumba in Koppal, no officials or employees were found when Lokayujkta officials reached the spot.