Bengaluru Excise Officials Demand Rs 80 Lakh Bribe For Brewery Licence, Caught

In a major anti-corruption operation, the Bengaluru Lokayukta has arrested three excise officials after catching them red-handed while allegedly accepting a Rs 25 lakh bribe. The payout was reportedly part of a much larger Rs 80 lakh demand.

The operation was triggered by a complaint from a man named Lakshminarayana C. According to the Lokayukta, the officials demanded the bribe to clear pending paperwork for the issuance of a CL-7 (hotel/club) license and a microbrewery license. While the total demand was set at Rs 80 lakh, the officials were intercepted during the initial transaction of Rs 25 lakh.

The three government officials taken into custody have been identified as:

Jagadeesh Naik (57): Excise Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru Urban District-8, Byatarayanapura.

Thammanna KM (41): Superintendent of Excise.

Lakkappa Gani (31): Excise Constable.

The trap was led by Lokayukta SP Shiva Prakash Devaraju, IPS. Officials confirmed that all three men were arrested at the scene, and an investigation is currently underway to determine if others were involved in the extortion attempt.

The Lokayukta continues to investigate the matter, and the arrested officials are expected to be produced before a court shortly.