Shivamogga: The Block Education Officer (BEO) of Bhadravathi Taluk, Nagendrappa A.K., has been caught in a trap laid by the Lokayukta police for demanding a bribe to sanction a teacher's annual increment and other pending government allowances. Along with him, a private individual named Manjunath, who acted as a middleman in the bribery deal, has also been arrested.

Background of the Incident:

A teacher named Lingaraju was due for annual increments and other government allowances from the department for the period between 2011 and 2023. It is alleged that BEO Nagendrappa demanded a bribe of ₹4 lakh to process this work. A complaint regarding this corruption was filed with the Lokayukta on March 2, 2026.

Trapped While Accepting One Lakh:

Acting on the complaint, the Lokayukta police conducted a raid yesterday at around 7:00 PM at the Bhadravathi BEO office. Nagendrappa and the middleman, Manjunath, were caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh from the teacher, Lingaraju.

Legal Action:

A case has been registered at the Shivamogga Lokayukta Police Station under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (Amended-2018). Currently, both the accused have been taken into custody, and the investigation is ongoing.

Police Inspector Veerabasappa L. Kusalapura of the Shivamogga Lokayukta Police Station has taken up the investigation of this case. This raid serves as a wake-up call to corrupt officials who demand money for government services.