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Probe into Karnataka ACB over ‘leaks’ before raids
The Lokayukta is probing a series of incidents where officials vacated their offices just before scheduled raids in 2024 and 2025
The raids by Karnataka’s anti-corruption body was likely compromised from within as the investigators probing an extortion racket run by a dismissed police constable are examining whether raid information was deliberately leaked ahead of time, said officials familiar with the matter.
The widening investigation comes in the wake of the arrest of Ningappa Savant, a 45-year-old former constable, who allegedly posed as senior Lokayukta officials to extort crores from government officers across departments, including transport, excise and the BBMP. The case initially emerged in May when a call was made to a Tumakuru RTO officer demanding bribes to avoid a Lokayukta raid.
According to an official, the Lokayukta is probing a series of suspicious incidents where officials vacated their offices just before scheduled raids in 2024 and 2025. “Details of several raids conducted by the Lokayukta in 2024 and 2025 were leaked on the day of the raids. The officials concerned fled the offices where the raids took place. On the same day, details of a phone call between some Lokayukta officials and Ningappan were found,” said an Lokayukta official on condition of anonymity.
The official further said that investigators have traced calls from five different SIM cards, one of which was issued in Savant’s name using his credentials. These numbers were used to impersonate senior Lokayukta personnel, calling government staff to extract money under the threat of imminent raids. “Calls were made from different numbers to officials of other government departments in the name of Lokayukta, deputy Lokayukta, Lokayukta SP. Including the SIM card that Ningappa purchased using his Aadhaar number, such calls were made from a total of five SIM cards. This fact was discovered when the call details of all those numbers were collated,” said the official.
Some of these SIM cards, investigators said, were fraudulently registered in the names of actual Lokayukta officers. Their photos were misused to create fake profiles on platforms such as Truecaller and Google, adding a layer of credibility to the scam. “Some of these SIM cards were purchased in the names of Lokayukta officials. The pictures of Lokayukta officials were used in Truecaller and Google profiles. It is known that Ningappa also used one such SIM card,” the officer said.
Savant, who was dismissed from service years ago for unauthorised absence, allegedly used WhatsApp groups and internal-looking Lokayukta updates to bolster his credibility and lure victims. According to the FIR, he contacted officials pretending to be senior Lokayukta officers and demanded money to suppress corruption allegations. In some instances, officials paid thousands and even lakhs of rupees through platforms such as Google Pay and PhonePe.
The official quoted above said that Savant might have operated with insider support and Joshi Srinath Mahadev, a 2012 batch promotee IPS officer and former Lokayukta SP in Bengaluru, might have been involved in the matter.
Another official said that Mahadev was seen spending hours at a hotel in an area linked to Savant. “Information has been received that Srinath M Joshi, who was the Lokayukta SP, was in the lobby of a hotel in Ningappa Nagar for a few hours. In addition, the personal secretary of a state government minister was also in the same hotel with him. It has been reported that all three went out at the same time,” the official said.
The official further said that Savant likely named Mahadev during police interrogation, claiming the IPS officer had a stake in cryptocurrency wallets into which the extorted money was allegedly diverted.
The Lokayukta confirmed that nearly 13 crypto wallets have been frozen as part of the investigation. “He admitted that he has invested the money he extorted in cryptocurrency in his own name and that of his relatives. His mobile was checked, and it was found that he had invested the money in about 13 crypto wallets. To trace the source of the money, the said wallets have been frozen and the investigation is continuing,” it said.
Mahadev, relieved of duties on June 12, has approached a sessions court seeking anticipatory bail, arguing that the charges against him are false and that he had no association with Savant beyond their past service in Chitradurga. The Karnataka high court has temporarily stayed proceedings against Mahadev, but the broader investigation continues into 35 other officials whose names surfaced during Savant’s interrogation.
HT tried to get response from the DG and IGP but no one responded.
