District Employment Officer S.D. Basavaraju was trapped by the Lokayukta police while he was allegedly accepting bribe of Rs. 4,000 from a job aspirant at his office on Wednesday.
According to Lokayukta Deputy Superintendent of Police Sadananda Varnekar, one Balram approached his office a few days ago along with activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India with a complaint that Mr. Basavaraju was harassing him for a bribe.
Mr. Balram told The Hindu that Mr. Basavaraju had assured him a job in a certain public sector oil refinery here in exchange for Rs. 5,000. “Mr. Basavaraju had said that a part of the bribe was meant for the recruitment officer at the refinery,” he alleged.
Mr. Basavaraju had allegedly accepted the first instalment of Rs. 1,000 on Tuesday.
Refutes charge
However, Mr. Basavaraju refuted the charges and said that he had been falsely implicated. “I refused to take the money that was offered. But he (Mr. Balram) forcibly put it into my pocket,” he said.
Mr. Varnekar said the Lokayukta had evidence against the officer, including records of telephonic and face-to-face conversation between Mr. Basavaraju and Mr. Balram.
