- By Shibra Arshad
- Fri, 01 Aug 2025 03:59 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A man who served as a clerk in the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL) in Koppal reportedly owns 24 houses, unaccounted assets worth Rs 30 crore and 40 acres of land.
The fraud was exposed when Karnatak Lokayukta officials raided the former clerk as part of their wider drive against potential misuse of official positions and securing more wealth than their declared source of income.
The house of the former clerk, who is identified as Kalakappa Nidagundi, was raided by the Lokayukta officials, who found out that Nidagundi owned assets worth Rs30 crore, which included 24 houses, four plots and 40 acres of farmland, NDTV reported.
Apart from Gold worth Rs 30 lakh, over 1.5 kg of silver was also recovered, the report added. Another report published by India Today, the ex-clerk owns two cars and two two-wheelers.
Nidagundi only earned Rs 15,000 as salary on a monthly basis during his tenure.
Nidagundi is facing allegations of misappropriating over Rs 72 crore, allegedly in collusion with former KRIDL engineer ZM Chincholkar. Together, they purportedly created fake invoices for 96 infrastructure projects that were never completed. The raid at Nidagundi's residence is part of the Lokayukta's ongoing efforts to uncover disproportionate assets in Karnataka.
According to news agency ANI, the officers who came under investigation in disproportionate assets cases included Jayanna R, Executive Engineer, National Highway Hassan Division in Hassan; K Omprakash, Senior Assistant Director of Horticulture, BDA, Bengaluru; N Venkatesh, Tax Accessor, Shettyhalli Sub-Division, BBMP, Bengaluru; Venkatesh G, Taluk Health Officer, Hiriyur Taluk, Chitradurga District and Anjaneya Murthy M, Junior Engineer, Rural Drinking Water and Sanitisation Department, Gowribidanuru Tq, Chikkaballapur District.