Prashanth Madal was caught taking a bribe from a contractor a day ago.An eye-popping mountain of cash worth about Rs 6 crore was found after searches at the home of a bureaucrat son of a Karnataka BJP MLA caught accepting a bribe a day ago, officials said on Friday, in a huge embarrassment for the party trying to woo voters for elections later this year.The anti-corruption wing of the Lokayukta – the state’s ombudsman – raided the home of BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa’s son Prashanth Madal and found the huge pile of cash.Madal Virupakshappa is the chairman of the state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which makes the famous Mysore Sandal Soap. His son is the chief accountant at Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).On Thursday, Karnataka Lokayukta officers caught Mr Virupakshappa’s son at the KSDL office while taking a bribe of Rs 40 lakh and arrested him. At least three bags of cash were found at the office, which has also been seized, officials said.”The anti-corruption branch of Lokayukta yesterday caught Prashanth Madal, son of BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa while taking a bribe of Rs 40 lakh. Over Rs 1.7 crore in cash was recovered from his office,” the Karnataka Lokayukta said.The ombudsman said they had been tipped off by a complaint about Prashanth Madal, a 2008-batch Karnataka Administrative Services officer, demanding a payoff from a contractor for a deal for raw materials need to manufacture soap and other detergents.Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the ombudsman will conduct an independent investigation. He also attacked the opposition Congress.”We have re-established Lokayukta to curb corruption. During the Congress regime, with Lokayukta dissolved, a lot of cases were closed. We will investigate the cases which were closed. Lokayukta is an independent institution and our stand is clear. The institution will investigate independently, and we will not interfere in it,” he said.Mr Virupakshappa is the MLA from Channagiri in the Davangere district.
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