Two live tortoises found in Agriculture department officer’s house during Lokayukta raid

BAGALKOT: Two live tortoises were found at the residence of an Agriculture Department official during a Lokayukta raid on Wednesday morning.

A team led by Lokayukta Deputy SP Pushpalata raided the houses of Agriculture Department’s Bagalkot joint director Chetana Patil at Akkimaradi  Layout in Vidyagiri and assistant director Krishna Shirur on 18th Cross in the same locality.

During the raid, two turtles were found in Chetana Patil’s house. Officials questioned her about the turtles kept at home and called Forest Department officials to examine them. Meanwhile, important documents related to properties were also found. The search was on at the house and officials are gathering more information.

The Lokayukta officials have raided 10 locations simultaneously across the state, including houses and offices. They raided the residence of K R Puram tahsildar Ajith Rai in Bengaluru over allegations of amassing disproportionate assets. The officials have seized cash Rs 40 lakh from the house and other important documents. The search operation was still under way.