Important files and documents, furniture and electronic items were destroyed after unidentified persons broke into the office of the Kannamangala Gram Panchayat on Monday night and set it on fire. The incident occurred two days after the clerk and president of the panchayat filed police complaints against each other over irregularities and cheating.
As the CCTV cameras installed on the premises have also been damaged, the police are yet to identify the arsonists. Vasanth Kumar H.D., executive officer of the taluk panchayat, Devanahalli, who filed a complaint with the airport police on Tuesday, has sought a detailed probe. The police suspect that the arson is linked to the feud between the president, Nagesh K.R., and the clerk, Anuradha K.S.
Prior to the incident, Nagesh had filed a complaint against the clerk for allegedly misusing tax money by forging the receipts. He accused Anuradha of issuing fake property tax receipts and collecting lakhs of rupees from property owners. In this manner, she had collected ₹81 lakh in the last one year, but remitted only ₹1,300 to the office.
When the matter was brought to his notice, Nagesh said that he formed a committee to look into largescale irregularities for the past two years. After he received a report, he filed a complaint with the jurisdictional police alleging cheating and criminal breach of trust.
A few hours later, Anuradha filed a counter-complaint with the airport police against Nagesh accusing him of sexual harassment and extortion. She alleged that he had borrowed a huge amount of money from her, but when she insisted he repay it, he started harassing her and even suspended her. She also accused two other members of cheating her, and alleged that all three siphoned off crores of rupees. In her complaint, she claimed that Nagesh and the two others are targeting and harassing her.
The police suspect that the arson is linked to these cases, but admit that key documents were destroyed in the fire.
