A staff member of Karnataka Minister C Puttaranga Shetty was caught with unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 14 lakh at the entrance of the state secretariat in Bengaluru, police said on Friday. "We have detained the Minister's staffer Mohan and seized the cash (Rs 14 lakh) from him at the secretariat, as he could not explain its source or account for it," city central Deputy Commissioner of Police Devaraj told reporters.
Puttaranga Shetty, a Congress legislator from Chamarajanagar Assembly segment in the southwest old Mysuru region, is the Social Welfare Minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the southern state. Reacting to the issue, he told reporters, "He is a typist in my office. I have never seen him before so I don't know the issue being discussed here. Let the inquiry happen and if there are mistakes, let the punishment follow. I am not against it.
Vidhana Soudha Police Station Inspector Shankarachar registered a case against the accused and detained him for questioning on the cash he was carrying in a bag and had come to the secretariat on a two-wheeler.
"We are interrogating Mohan to explain why he was carrying so much of cash and its source as he didn't have documentary support for it," a police officer told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
According to reports, an additional Rs 11.76 lakh was also found with Mohan when the police carried a search on him and his bike.
BJP leaders were quick to criticise the Congress minister for the incident. Chikkamagaluru MLA CT Ravi accused the Congress of "looting the public" and called for the minister to resign.
Rs. 25,76,000/- was found in the Vidhana Soudha office of CONgress Minister Puttaranga Shetty.
C T Ravi (@CTRavi_BJP) January 5, 2019
It is a fact that the "Unholy Alliance Partners" in Karnataka are focused only on looting the Public.
How much of this loot is given to the "Corrupt Dynast" @RahulGandhi?
Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Jagadish Shettar demanded a thorough investigation and also called for the minister’s resignation.
JD(S) leader Basavaraj Horatti too reiterated the calls for the minister to resign from his position. "He should resign from his position and if he is found to be innocent after the enquiry, he should be reinstated."
With IANS inputs