Upa Lokayukta busts babus pocketing bribes on payment apps

UPA Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa has kept pace with technology and come up with the idea of checking digital payments received as bribes by government officials during his surprise visits to districts.

- YATHIRAJU @ Bengaluru

He has come across officials who have received bribes in lakhs of rupees through digital payments. Whenever officials sense an impending raid by the Upa Lokayukta, they quickly uninstall digital payment apps, like Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm etc., from their phones.

But Justice Veerappa knows them and their modus operandi too well. He has now been taking with him a team of technical staff to check the mobile phones of officials. He will get the tech staff to re-install the apps within minutes and check if there are any suspicious financial transactions. He is assisted by his Secretary Aravind N V, Deputy Registrar-1.