Karnataka's deputy director at the Directorate of Cooperative Audit S P Mahantesh (48), a Karnataka Audit Service (KAS) officer, who was probing various housing cooperative societies for violations, died during the wee hours of Sunday five days after unknown persons assaulted him near a star hotel in the city.

Apparently, Mahantesh was also probing the BEML Housing Cooperative Society, which was found to have made preferential allotment of highly valued plots in Bangalore at throwaway prices to the senior management of the BEML.

Doctors at the private hospital where Mahantesh was being treated, declared him dead after his heart stopped beating at 5:30 am. His wife, two young children and ailing parents were in shock after Mahantesh passed away. The police have not made any major breakthrough into the attack on the officer.

Deputy commissioner of police P Ravikanthe Gowda told reporters that two special investigation teams have been formed to crack the case in addition to the two teams that had already been constituted.

According to Mahantesh's colleagues, the KAS officer, had reported irregularities in different housing cooperative societies involving some officials and political leaders. "He was under constant pressure for exposing the misdeeds of various societies. But he never anticipated a threat to his life. The attack on him and his death has shocked all of us," one of his colleagues said.

Mahantesh was found unconscious near a hotel in the city while returning home in his car. A passerby, who noticed him, informed his family and admitted him to a private hospital. The attackers had left him in a critical condition. He was on life support system since the last three days.

This is the second death of an official of the state government in the last two weeks. On May 6, an assistant conservator of forest, Madan Naik was assaulted by a group of tourists in Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district when he objected to the feeding crocodiles by them at a private resort.