Karnataka BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa Arrested In Alleged Bribery Case

This came hours after the Karnataka High Court dismissed Madal Virupakshappa's bail plea in the case.

Madal Virupakshappa.

(Photo: Facebook/Madal Virupakshappa)

Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Madal Virupakshappa was arrested in an alleged bribery case on Monday, 27 March, hours after the Karnataka High Court dismissed his bail plea in the case.

The accused was arrested from the Tumkur Kythasandra toll while he was travelling in his car.

Virupakshappa has been named the prime accused in the case after his son, Prashanth Madal, was caught red-handed  by Lokayukta officers on 2 March allegedly accepting Rs 40 lakhs in bribes on his father's behalf.

A day after the raid, Lokayukta officers raided Madal’s residence – where they recovered over Rs 6 crore in unaccounted-for cash.

Virupakshappa, who was absconding since being booked, surfaced in his Channagiri constituency in Davanagere district on Tuesday, 7 March, after the Karnataka High Court granted him anticipatory bail.

On resurfacing, the BJP leader received a rousing welcome by his supporters who burst crackers and garlanded the MLA. He had then told reporters, “I am 100 percent confident that I will be acquitted in the case. The source of money seized from my house was not corruption. The money is the income from agriculture and legitimate businesses run by the family."