BJP legislator Chandru Lamani, representing the Shirahatti constituency, was apprehended by the Karnataka Lokayukta for his involvement in an alleged bribery incident in Laxmeshwar town, Gadag district. He was caught accepting Rs 5 lakh from a contractor as part of a larger bribe demand. Lamani’s government personal assistant, Manjunath Valmiki, and private assistant, Guru Lamani, were also taken into custody and interrogated during the operation.
The Lokayukta sources revealed that Lamani had demanded Rs 11 lakh from a Class I contractor, Vijay Poojar, for a contract related to the Minor Irrigation Department, specifically for roadside retaining wall construction work. The operation was overseen by Dharwad Lokayukta Superintendent of Police Siddalingappa.
During a trap set by officials, the MLA and his associates were caught red-handed accepting Rs 5 lakh as part of the alleged bribe transaction. Subsequently, Lokayukta officials conducted searches at Balaji Hospital in Laxmeshwar town, owned by Chandru Lamani, as part of the ongoing investigation.
The case is currently under further investigation, with officials examining additional evidence related to the alleged bribery. In a related incident, former Karnataka BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa was arrested in a bribery case in 2023, where he was apprehended by Lokayukta police in Channagiri town, Davanagere district, after attempting to evade them at a toll gate near Bengaluru.
