Hostel warden caught accepting bribe

KALABURAGI: The warden of a hostel in the district has been caught by the Lokayukta police for demanding a bribe of Rs 15,000 from cooking assistants to mark their attendance on Thursday.

The warden of the Backward Classes Welfare Department for post-matric students, Shivasharanappa, had been demanding Rs 20,000 per month from all Group D cooking assistants, threatening to withhold their salaries and attendance if they didn’t pay up.

The cooking assistants, who were fed up with the demands, filed a complaint with the Lokayukta police, who caught Shivasharanappa red-handed while accepting the bribe.

The investigation is being led by Deputy SP Geeta Benal, and the accused will be produced before a magistrate later.

The hostel is run by the Backward Classes Welfare Department for students who have passed Class 10 and are pursuing higher education.