KAS officer Naik gave his official driver Rs 50L in old notes: CID

KAS officer L Bheema Naik had given his official driver, K C Rameshgowda, Rs 50 lakh in scrapped notes for depositing in his bank account. Rameshgowda returned only Rs 42 lakh in new currency and refused to give the rest, leading to a heated argument with his boss, according to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

A CID officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that when they questioned Naik about the source of money, he gave “inconsistent” answers.

Naik, the suspended special land acquisition officer, Bengaluru, was arrested on December 12 in Kalaburagi along with his personal driver Mohammed for driving Rameshgowda to suicide.

Rameshgowda committed suicide after checking into Samrat lodge on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway on December 6. He left behind an explosive death note, blaming Naik and Mohammed for his suicide.

He detailed how Naik “laundered” money after demonetisation, besides mentioning his proximity to Ballari MP, B Sriramulu, and former minister G Janardhana Reddy. Rameshgowda suggested that Reddy had “laundered” Rs 125 crore after demonetisation with Naik’s help.

The officer said the CID would soon question Reddy and Sriramulu over the reported money-laundering.

Based on Rameshgowda’s revelations, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBI) conducted raids and searches at several places belonging to Naik and his relatives, and seized unaccounted wealth.