The Karnataka Lokayukta Police caught District Fire Officer B.R. Ashok Kumar at his office in Shivamogga on Thursday, allegedly while accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh from a representative of a private school in exchange for a no-objection certificate for fire safety.

Anoop, a representative of Nandagokula School in Shikaripur, had sought the fire safety no-objection certificate from the District Fire Officer, who allegedly demanded ₹1 lakh to issue it. The school representative, unwilling to pay the bribe, filed a complaint with the Lokayukta Police.

Lokayukta officials conducted the trap under the leadership of DySP B.P. Chandrashekhar. “The accused officer was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe amount. He is currently in our custody, and further investigation is on,” Mr. Chandrashekhar told The Hindu.