Sampangiramanagar corporator, M Gopi, allegedly acted on Naidu’s behalf to intimidate farmers and landowners in Bagalur.
Yet another BBMP corporator is in trouble. First, it was Munirathna (for constructing a sub-standard retaining wall near Hebbal). Then it was Govindaraju of Ganesh Mandir ward. He was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting bribe. Katta Jagadish Naidu (Vasanthanagar corporator) was caught by the Lokayukta while trying to influence a witness in the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) land scam.
Now, it’s Sampangiramanagar corporator M Gopi of the BJP, who’s name figures in at least half-a-dozen first information reports (FIRs) registered in Bagalur police station.
Gopi is no small fry. He has been protected by Katta Jagadish’s father and IT and BT minister, Katta Subramanya Naidu. “Every time Gopi was held, the minister used to interfere. He used to call the police station inspector and force him to release Gopi,” said a senior police official.
“Gopi’s proximity to the minister for the past several years earned him a ticket for the BBMP elections,” added the official.
Though there are cases registered against Gopi in SR Nagar police station, police officers hesitated to book Gopi under the Goonda Act.
“It seems the police have been hiding several complaints against him all these years. If there are cases against him in SR Nagar, the officers made it a point it was not brought to the notice of higher-ups because of the minister’s pressure. Some of the cases were not registered at all,” said another officer.
The police say Naidu used Gopi to intimidate farmers and landowners in Bagalur and surrounding areas and force them to sell their land at throwaway prices.
“In most cases, which were not reported to the police, Gopi used to intimidate landowners to sell their land,” said a police officer who earlier served in the North-East division.
Some police officers — who are also involved in the real estate business — were hand-in-glove with Gopi. Landowners were instructed to come to the police station to strike deals, added the officer.
Lokayukta sources said: “There were threats (from Gopi) to Lokayukta officers.”
Gopi helped Naidu and his son by intimidating farmers and landowners to part with their land. “The incident in which Jagadish was caught points toward this,” said a Lokayukta source.
The Lokayukta is now keeping a tab on Gopi. “He is a bad character and a goon. We’re sure he’s involved in the KIADB land scam,” said a Lokayukta official.
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