2 min readBengaluruFeb 21, 2026 10:04 PM IST
BJP MLA Dr Chandru Lamani, who represents the Shirahatti Assembly constituency, and two of his personal assistants were trapped by the Karnataka Lokayukta Police Saturday while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from a contractor in Laxmeshwar town of Gadag district.
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According to Lokayukta officials, the MLA had allegedly demanded Rs 11 lakh from Vijay Pujar, a Class-I contractor from Chinchali village in Gadag taluk, to clear a Minor Irrigation Department project involving the construction of retaining walls along a road. Following the alleged demand, Pujar approached the Lokayukta Police and lodged a complaint.
Acting on the complaint, the Lokayukta Police laid a trap on Saturday. At around 2.15 pm, Dr Lamani and his personal assistants – Manjunath Valmiki and Guru Naik – were allegedly caught while accepting Rs 5 lakh at Balaji Hospital in Laxmeshwar.
“Today (Saturday), a successful trap was laid by the Gadag Lokayukta Police Station. The accused public servant was caught while accepting Rs 5 lakh. Accused 1, 2 and 3 have been secured, and the investigation is in progress,” officials said in a statement.
During the raid, officials said Guru Naik allegedly attempted to dispose of a portion of the bribe by throwing a cover containing Rs 50,000 into the compound of a nearby private school. The Lokayukta team recovered the cover, along with Rs 4.50 lakh found inside the hospital premises.
A case has been registered under Section 7(a) (public servant who accepts, obtains, attempts to obtain, or agrees to accept any undue advantage) read with Section 7(A) (involvement of another person influencing or facilitating the bribe) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
