Karwar: Dr. Shivanand Kudtarkar, the medical superintendent of the KRIMS government hospital in Karwar and an officer under Karwar Medical College, was caught red-handed on Thursday afternoon by the Karnataka Lokayukta while allegedly accepting a bribe from a contractor.
According to Lokayukta officials, Kudtarkar had demanded a bribe of ₹50,000 from Mohsin Ahmad Shaikh, a contractor from Ankola, in exchange for clearing a pending bill of ₹3.5 lakh related to the supply of hospital beds and mattresses. The contract was awarded eight months ago to Shaikh, who represented Vishal Furniture.
Kudtarkar had already accepted ₹20,000 on Wednesday. When he received the remaining ₹30,000 on Thursday, a Lokayukta team from Mangaluru led by SP Kumar Chandra and DySP Dhanya Naik laid a trap and apprehended him with the bribe money at the KRIMS hospital premises.
The contractor had filed a complaint with the Lokayukta after enduring pressure for several months to pay a commission. Unable to afford the amount, Shaikh reportedly pawned his wife’s gold chain to pay the initial sum. He filed the complaint on Wednesday, and the trap was executed the following day.
Sources also alleged that in a previous instance in 2014, Kudtarkar had received ₹5.5 lakh as a bribe for processing a ₹16 lakh hospital tender.
The Lokayukta has taken Kudtarkar into custody and initiated further proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act.