In a shocking event, R. L. Parameshwaraiah, a retired Chief Engineer of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), was discovered dead on Wednesday morning at his residence in Koramangala. The 63-year-old former official, who had a long tenure in the Mahadevapura zone, was also said to have hanged himself at his duplex home in Koramangala 4th Block.
The rise of the case came as central agencies were increasingly exploring accusations of disproportionate assets and corruption including investigations by the CBI and Income Tax (IT) Department.
A History Of Investigative Pressures
Parameshwaraiah’s death poses an uncanny parallel to the recent suicide of C.J. Roy, a prominent real estate tycoon and founder of the Confident Group. Roy reportedly killed himself in January 2026 under the constraint of continued IT raids. Parameshwaraiah reportedly suffered from intense depression after a renewed rise in legal problems:
- January 30, 2026: An FIR was registered by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) against him for illegal asset accumulation.
- Early February 2026: Central investigators searched his residence and seized important documents.
- February 25, 2026: Parameshwaraiah prepared to face questioning at the CBI branch. Just hours before the scheduled interview he went as far as taking the extreme step.
The Roots of the Investigation (2021-2026)
The legal net started closing on the retired engineer in December 2021. The site on the residence of a BBMP contractor, Anil Kumar, was searched and the police seized suitcase keys, gold jewellery, money. Parameshwaraiah's assets Anil Kumar, after being interviewed, reportedly claimed the items belonged to Parameshwaraiah. Later raids of the engineer’s house discovered:
- Three bank lockers of about ₹86.35 lakh cash.
- Evidence of a phenomenal rise in the asset value – from the value of ₹29.64 lakh in 2012 to the value of above ₹5.85 crore in 2021.
- Various real estate properties in Bengaluru and Tumakuru.
Personal Toll and Final Note
The retired official’s relatives said he had withdrawn more and more and was receiving treatment for mental problems since the latest round of agency searches. According to a death note in one page recently recovered by the Koramangala police, Parameshwaraiah said he was taking his life for personal reasons and that no one should be found responsible.
The police have filed a case of unnatural death and are continuing to investigate. And while the law does follow through on the corruption allegations, the episode has again reignited an acrimonious debate over how prolonged investigations have affected high-profile individuals’ psyches.
