Lokayukta Police arrested S. Gopinath, Assistant Director of the Social Welfare Department, while accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 from a contractor to issue a work progress report in Shivamogga on Friday.
The Social Welfare Department has taken up the development of burial grounds at Raminakoppa and Buklapura in Shivamogga taluk. The work was allotted to Shivamogga Nirmithi Kendra, which executed the work through a contractor.
Ravi Kumar G., the contractor from Katakere village, had approached Gopinath to issue a work progress report so that he could claim the grant allotted for the work. As the officer demanded a bribe of ₹15,000 to issue the report, the contractor filed a complaint with the Lokayukta Police.
Lokayukta Inspector H.S. Suresh arrested the officer while he was accepting the bribe from the contractor. The operation was conducted under the guidance of Lokayukta Superintendent of Police N. Vasudevarama. Deputy Superintendent of Police Eshwar Naik, P.I. Prakash, and others were involved in the operation.
