Big Raid: Gold, cash, watches seized from premises of IAS officer, 7 others in...

Karnataka Lokayukta Raids IAS Officer Vasanthi Amar and 7 Others, Recovers Cash, Gold and More
The Karnataka Lokayukta carried out major raids across the state on Wednesday, targeting several government officials, including senior IAS officer Vasanthi Amar. The raids were part of an investigation into alleged illegal activities involving land and misuse of power.

Vasanthi Amar is currently serving as the Special Deputy Commissioner in K-RIDE, an agency responsible for the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project. The Lokayukta officials conducted a raid at her house located in RT Nagar, Bengaluru, and are continuing their probe into her activities.

FIR Filed Last Week
The raids come just days after an FIR was registered against Amar. The case is related to the unauthorised issuing of an official order regarding a 10.2-acre piece of land in Dasanapura Hobli, located in North Bengaluru. The illegal order was reportedly issued between June and September 2024.

The complaint was filed by Prashanth Khangouda Patil, a clerical staff member working at the Deputy Commissioner’s office. At first, only a non-cognizable report (NCR) was registered. However, after the court intervened, the matter was turned into a full FIR under Section 257 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), India's new criminal law code.

Raids Across the State
Apart from Amar, seven other government officials were also raided. The Lokayukta teams searched homes and offices in different parts of Karnataka.

In Bidar, for example, they raided the home of Maruti Bagali, the Assistant Director of the Department of Town and Village Planning. During the search, officials found gold jewellery, cash, expensive watches, and other valuable items. The Lokayukta has not yet released a full list of everything recovered but said that the raids were based on specific information and legal clearance. Investigations are still going on, and more updates are expected in the coming days.