Late last night in Bengaluru, a sum exceeding ₹42 crore in cash was discovered concealed in 23 boxes beneath a bed. This substantial amount was unearthed during Income Tax raids on R Ambikapathy, who had alleged a 40 per cent commission against the previous government in Karnataka.
As per reports, it is believed that the cash was intended for transportation to neighbouring Telangana; however, an official statement on this matter is yet to be released. The amount, in Rs 500 denominations, was stashed in 23 cardboard boxes at the residence of a former corporator from Ward 95.
The contractor supposedly tried to stonewall the raid and attempted to stall the handover of keys to the flat where the money was discovered, coinciding with a suspected effort to relocate the funds, a report published in The Hindu said.
It’s noteworthy to mention that Mr. Ambikapathy gained prominence during a campaign led by the Karnataka Contractors’ Association. The campaign had accused the previous BJP regime of charging a ’40 per cent commission’ for State Government contracts. Additionally, he was among the contractors apprehended in a criminal defamation case filed against them by former minister Munirathna over corruption accusations but was subsequently released.
Accusing the Congress government in the state, BJP leader and former deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan claimed that the funds were amassed from contractors as a commission to finance the upcoming elections in five states.
“This substantiates the allegations of an ‘ATM government’ (against the Congress government) with supporting evidence… What has been apprehended is a fraction of the funds amassed by the ‘ATM government.’ There are numerous similar instances. The seized money is a portion of the accumulated funds. Consider this as a representative example,” he remarked, encouraging other contractors to come forward and disclose the money they purportedly handed over.
Dismissing the accusations as “baseless”, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated, “The allegations are without merit. No state (within the Congress) has requested (for money). We haven’t provided any either… Have you witnessed it? Have the (BJP members making the accusations) witnessed the transfer of funds to other states? There’s no basis for such misleading claims.”
