In a significant blow to Bengaluru’s police force, two senior officers were arrested on charges of accepting a bribe to influence a cyber fraud investigation. The officers, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Tanveer S R and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Krishna Murthy, were apprehended by the Lokayukta police on Tuesday night, following a sting operation initiated by a complaint from a 42-year-old software engineer.
According to the Lokayukta, Karnataka’s anti-corruption watchdog, the two officers had demanded Rs 4 lakh (around $4,800) to investigate the cyber fraud case and arrest the suspects. After negotiations, the bribe amount was reduced to Rs 2 lakh (about $2,400), which the ASI Krishna Murthy was caught accepting as an advance payment. Both officers were arrested in connection with the scheme, severely tarnishing the reputation of Bengaluru’s police department.
The software engineer, who has chosen to remain anonymous, approached the Lokayukta after the officers allegedly pressured him for the bribe. Following the complaint, a trap was set, leading to the officers’ arrests at the Cyber, Economic, and Narcotics Police Station in Bengaluru’s North East Division. A Lokayukta official commended the complainant for his courage and noted the swift action taken to uphold justice.
This incident comes amid a wider crackdown on corruption in Karnataka. On the same day, the Lokayukta arrested three other individuals in separate corruption cases across the state. In Ramanagara district, G Muniraju, a Panchayat Development Officer, was caught accepting a bribe to approve materials under the MGNREGA program. In Chitradurga, Naveen AM, a District Credit Cooperative Bank superintendent, was arrested for accepting Rs 15,000 to process loans for farmers. Additionally, in Belagavi, two staff members of the Forest Department, Mohammed Saab Moosamiya and Vinayak Patil, were detained for accepting Rs 7,000 to avoid legal action under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
The arrest of these officers highlights the persistent issue of corruption in India’s public sector, especially within law enforcement. Bengaluru, known as the “Silicon Valley of India,” has seen a surge in cyber fraud cases, and the involvement of senior police officers in such a scandal raises concerns about the integrity of law enforcement in addressing these crimes.
The Lokayukta has promised to continue its efforts to combat corruption, with officials emphasizing that the arrests of the ACP and ASI are part of a larger operation aimed at tackling misconduct within government institutions. A Lokayukta official issued a stern warning to public servants, stating, “No one is above the law.” Meanwhile, the Bengaluru police department has remained silent on the issue, with no official statement released as of Wednesday evening.
