Change of investigation officers in KSDL bribe case raises many eyebrows

In the posters released by the Congress, Madal Virupakshappa has been declared as “missing” after his son Madal Prashanth was arrested by Lokayukta in a Rs 40 lakhs bribery case.

Bengaluru: Amid the ongoing investigation into the bribe case against Madal Prashanth, the son of BJP MLA and former Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) chairman Madal Virupakshappa, the Basavaraj Bommai government on Tuesday changed the investigating officers of the case thereby raising eyebrows.

According to officials, Deputy SP Pramod Kumar and Inspector Kumara Swamy, who had been investigating since the case was registered, have been replaced by Deputy SP Anthony John and Inspector Balaji Babur. The change of the investigating officers in the politically sensitive case has raised questions over the credibility of the investigation.

KSDL bribe Case: It may be recalled that Madal Prashanth, the son of Madal Virupakshappa and Chief Accountant of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), was arrested by the Lokayukta on March 2 after he was caught red-handed while taking Rs 40 lakhs bribe in lieu of supply orders for KSDL. During the searches launched after Prashanth's arrest, the Lokayukta officials recovered around Rs 8 crore cash from Prashant Madal's and his aides' residences.

After the arrest of his son, Madal Virupakshappa resigned from the post of chairman of KSDL. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Congress has launched a massive poster campaign against BJP, and party after his son Madal Prashanth was arrested by Lokayukta in a Rs 40 lakhs bribery case. In the posters pasted at many places in Bengaluru, the state Congress has declared Madal Virupakshappa as “missing”.

“The last place where he was seen was the Chief Minister's residence,” the posters read while declaring the incumbent Basavaraj Bommai led BJP government as “inefficient government”. In the posters released against the BJP and Virupakshappa, the Congress has asked people to call the Police Control Room if they see Madal Virupakshappa and cooperate with the Lokayukta investigation.