Puttur: Land reforms office staff caught taking bribe

Mangalore Today News Network

Puttur, Aug 29, 2025: Lokayukta officials trapped and arrested an employee of the Land Reforms branch of the Tahsildar’s office in Puttur Taluk Office on Thursday evening while he was allegedly accepting a bribe from a member of the public. The accused was caught with the bribe money in his possession.

It is reported that during the raid, the Puttur Tahsildar managed to escape from the spot.

The accused, identified as Sunil, an FDA (First Division Assistant) at the Land Reforms branch, was caught red-handed by Mangaluru Lokayukta police while accepting a bribe of Rs 12,000 from the complainant. He has been taken into custody for questioning. Another accused, Puttur Tahsildar Kudalagi, has gone absconding, and a search has been launched to trace him.

Background of the Case:
The complainant’s uncle owned 65 cents of land, which had been regularised under the Akrama-Sakrama scheme. Later, through a will, the property rights were transferred to the complainant. For mortgaging the land, a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Tahsildar was required, for which the complainant had applied in December 2024. When he enquired about the pending application, case worker Sunil (FDA) allegedly demanded a bribe, claiming it was necessary for the Tahsildar’s signature.

The complainant approached the Mangaluru Lokayukta with this grievance, following which officials laid a trap. Sunil was caught while accepting the bribe. A case has also been registered against Tahsildar Kudalagi, and his role will be investigated, officials confirmed.

The operation was led by Lokayukta SP (in-charge) Kumar Chandra, assisted by DySP Dr. Gan. P. Kumar, Inspectors Bharati, Chandrashekar K.N., Ravi Power, and staff members Mahesh, Rajappa, Radhakrishna, Adarsh, Vivek, Vinayak, Praveen, Ganganna, Nagappa, Mahadev, Pavitra, Dundappa, Rudragowda, and Rajashekar.