K’taka cash-for-ticket scam: Woman Hindutva activist, six others sent to judicial custody

Bengaluru, Sep 23 (IANS) Chaitra Kundapura and six accused in the sensational BJP MLA cash-for-ticket scam were sent to judicial custody till October 6 by the Third Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Bengaluru on Saturday.

The accused would be lodged in the Bengaluru Central Jail in Parappana Agrahara on the outskirts of the city. Kundapura and others were produced before the court as their police custody was about to end on Saturday.

The court had also given directions to the Public Prosecutors to file objections for the bail petition of accused Ramesh, Channa Naik and Dhanraj and adjourned the matter to September 26.

Abhinava Halashri Swami, another accused in the scam is still being questioned by the special team.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda had said that the Special Wing CCB sleuths, who are investigating the ticket scam, have seized Rs 2 crore worth of valuables, gold jewellery, and Rs 76 lakh in cash from accused Kundapura.

Dayananda stated that Rs 56 lakh in cash was seized from the mutt of the arrested seer Abhinava Halashri. After carrying out further investigations Rs 20 lakh was seized from a person connected to the seer.

The police have arrested eight people and notices have been issued to four persons to appear for questioning in connection with the case.

Congress spokesperson from Mysuru, M Laxman had alleged that he had got inputs on the cash-for-ticket scam amounting to Rs 185 crore and that 17 ticket aspirants had been cheated by Kundapura. “She got tickets for 23 people and made money,” he had claimed.

He had said that Kundapura had direct connections with the BJP top leadership and demanded that these links should be probed.

“We are taking a delegation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in this regard and he will be requested to give directions for a comprehensive probe into the scam,” he had said.

The BJP had given tickets to 72 new faces in the recently-concluded Assembly elections and faced a humiliating defeat.

The scam came to light following an industrialist Govind Babu Poojari lodging a complaint against Kundapura and others for cheating him of Rs 5 crore after promising a BJP ticket. Kundapura, too, had claimed the involvement of the top party leadership in the scam.

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