K C Ramesh allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison at a lodge at Maddur in Mandya district yesterday, leaving a death note, police said today.
In the note, recovered by police, Ramesh listed alleged illegal activities committed by Bheema Nayak, special land acquisition officer (Bengaluru).
Holding the official and his personal driver responsible for his death, Ramesh alleged that there was a threat to his life as he came to know the illegalities allegedly committed by Nayak and how he recently got the money converted for the wedding of Reddy's daughter.
The handwritten death note said Nayak had met Reddy and BJP MP Sriramulu at a guest house on October 28 with another person to discuss contesting the 2018 Assembly elections from Hagaribommanahalli constituency and had agreed to give Rs 25 crore for it.
He (Nayak) had visited a hotel on November 15 and had claimed in front of Ramesh about giving Rs 25crore white money for Reddy daughter's wedding and had visited Sriramulu's residence at another hotel frequently, the note alleged. It also mentioned registration numbers of vehicles used.
Since he was aware of all these things, they had threatened him with dire consequences and told him they would get him killed by rowdies, he alleged in the note.
Days after the blockbuster wedding of his daughterthat raised national eyebrows, Reddy had come under thescanner of the IT department, which on November 21 had cracked the whip, asking him to explain the expenditure for it andinspected offices of his firms.
In his death note, Ramesh also listed alleged "illegal
properties" and "illegal transactions" of Bheema Nayak.
"The reason for my death is L Bheema Nayak (KAS) and his personal driver Mohammad. They are directly responsible. They had even stopped my three months pay," it alleged.
Reddy, once considered mighty along with his brothers in the mineral-rich Ballari district before his fall, is presently on bail, which the Supreme Court granted in January last year after he spent about 40 months in prison in connectionwith alleged illegal mining.
"Our name is being unnecessarily dragged into a fight between Bheema Nayak and his driver. How can we, who have a name in politics, speak about an amount of Rs 25 crore with a government official?" he asked.
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