Woman accused of corruption fraud dies by suicide, note blames CID officer

On By Pranco

A 33-year-old woman accused in the Karnataka Bhovi Development Corporation scam was found dead at her residence in Padmanabha Nagar in Bengaluru on Friday morning, November 22. The deceased, identified as Jeeva S, is said to have left an eleven-page letter alleging that she was intimidated by a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer, who was allegedly stripped naked during interrogation.

Jeeva’s sister, Sangeetha S, filed a complaint with the Bengaluru police accusing CID Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kanakalakshmi of mental and physical harassment. Banashankari police have registered a case against the DSP under Section 7 (public servants demanding bribes) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

According to reports, Jeeva had attended a CID inquiry on November 14 under the directions of the Karnataka High Court. According to the complaint, the DSP allegedly stripped Jeeva naked during interrogation and asked if she had any cyanide on her. The complainant also alleged that the officer had demanded a bribe of Rs 25 lakh.

The alleged harassment reportedly lasted until November 21. Sangeetha also alleged that Kanakalakshmi visited Jeeva’s shop shortly before her death and publicly humiliated her.

The Bhovi Development Corporation scam came to light during the 2021-2022 financial year and involved alleged misuse of funds meant for loans for job schemes for Bhovi community members. The case concerns allegations of misuse of the names of 500 housewives with false promises of loans. According to police, the suspects allegedly prepared a list of fake beneficiaries, put their signatures on Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) forms and transferred Rs 5 lakh to their accounts. However, the actual recipients reportedly received only Rs 25,000 each. The government initiated a formal investigation into the scam in 2023, merging multiple FIRs and entrusting the case to the CID earlier this year.