Karnataka BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa arrested in bribery case after bail cancellation

He was arrested near the Kyathsandra toll booth near Tumakuru Road by the Lokayukta police on basis of a tip-off.

The BJP MLA was named as the prime accused in the case after his son, Prashanth Madal, was caught allegedly accepting Rs. 40 lakhs bribe, allegedly on his behalf, last month.

Madal Virupakshappa, the MLA from Channagiri in the Davanagere district, was the chairman of the state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which makes the famous Mysore Sandal Soap.

He resigned from his post as the chairman of KSDL the day the scandal broke. His son-Prashanth Madal, who is the chief accountant at Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), was caught taking a bribe on March 3.

The bribe was to meant to secure a tender to supply raw materials to Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd, the Lokayukta police, which was probing the case, said.

The anti-corruption wing of the Lokayukta then recovered Rs. 6 crores in cash from the home Virupakshappa's home and Rs. 1.75 crores from his office.

The MLA has, however, denied any wrongdoing and said he was being framed by his political rivals.

He also claimed that his son, who was caught red-handed acting bribe, was innocent. Someone had planted the money in his son's office, the MLA claimed.

"I am 100 percent confident that I will be acquitted in the case. The source of money seized from my house is not corruption. The money is from agriculture and other legitimate businesses run by the family," Madal Virupakshappa had told the media.