Bengaluru, Jul 27 (DHNS): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing charges of corruption in the Lokayukta institution on Sunday arrested Lokayukta Joint Commissioner (PRO) Syed Riyaz.

The SIT arrested Riyaz in connection with the FIR (56/2015) pertaining to threatening and attempting to extort money from PWD Executive Engineer M N Krishnamurthy. Though the SIT had already arrested three individuals, Riyaz is the first Lokayukta official to be arrested.

Sources said Riyaz had played a vital role in the Krishnamurthy case. Ashok Kumar, the first to be arrested by the SIT, had been in constant touch with Riyaz. Ashok, a realtor, had made several calls to Riyaz. The pattern of these calls is interesting as after each call from Ashok, Riyaz would immediately call Y Ashwin, son of Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao. Ashwin was named accused number one by the Lokayukta police in the FIR registered on July 1.

“The key to the conference room, which was used to threaten Krishnamurthy, was with Riyaz. The probe revealed that Riyaz would call public servants on the instructions of Ashwin to the conference room and threaten them to cough up money to avoid being raided by the Lokayukta police. Riyaz will be produced before the Lokayukta court,” an official said.

Sources said Riyaz, on the run since July 17, was tracked down to a private clinic in Koramangala on Sunday evening. The SIT was on the hunt for Riyaz, who was to resume work on July 20 after his Umrah pilgrimage. However, his moves to evade arrest became evident when he sent letters seeking extension of leave for a month through personal staff Pramod, who is also named in the report submitted by the Lokayukta police to the SIT.

As an effort to ascertain that he has come back, the Registrar Lokayukta had on Saturday asked Riyaz to submit the original air tickets. “When Registrar’s office asked Riyaz to submit air tickets, he sent photocopies of the tickets with only forward journey ticket having the stamp. He tried to mislead the SIT officials by not sending the copy of the return ticket with the stamp. Besides, he has been in constant touch with his office staff,” an official said.

The SIT officials had sealed PRO’s office on Saturday, sending a clear message that he will be arrested the moment he surfaces. Sources said when Riyaz’s efforts to take shelter at one of his close associates’ house in Koramangala turned futile, he immediately got admitted at a private clinic.

Riyaz joined the state police as a sub inspector and was deputed to Lokayukta as PRO.

India's face at anti-graft meet

Syed Riyaz had represented India at the maiden meeting of the world bank group's international corruption hunters alliance (ICHA) held at Washington DC in December 2010. ICHA brings together heads and senior officials of graft probing bodies and prosecuting authorities from six continents. Riyaz was among 240 people from 134 countries who participated in the event presided by Robert B Zoelick, the then president world bank group.