Hyderabad, July 14 (IANS) Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday arrested Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) Chief Engineer B. Ravinder in a case of disproportionate assets.
The arrest was made after the ACB officials conducted searches at his residence, office and nine other premises belonging to his relatives, associates and ‘benamidars’.
The anti-graft agency said that the official allegedly acquired assets by indulging in corrupt practices and dubious means.
During the searches, several property documents were found. These includes five open plots worth Rs 38.89 lakh at Kondakal, Kistapur and Pasamala, four residential flats worth Rs 2.07 crore at Narsingi and Nanakramguda, four acre agricultural land worth Rs 6 lakh at Gudur village of Kothur mandal and Shamshabad, one semi-finished villa measuring 300 square yards worth Rs 1.33 crore at Srivari Meadows, Mokila village, Shankarpally mandal and one G+4 constructed building measuring 300 square yards worth Rs 3 crore at Masjid Banda, Kondapur. The market value of these properties is estimated to be much higher than the official value, the ACB said in a release.
The ACB officials also seized net cash of Rs 3.82 lakh, bank balances amounting to about Rs 45.05 lakh, gold ornaments weighing about 1,440 grams valued at approximately Rs 36.70 lakh, silver ornaments weighing about 12.5 kg valued at approximately Rs 10 lakh, 10 household articles valued at approximately Rs 17.24 lakh, electronic gadgets valued at approximately Rs 9.32 lakh, four vehicles valued at approximately Rs 1.16 crore.
Total assets are estimated at about Rs 9.24 crore. Further verification regarding additional assets is underway, the agency said.
The accused officer will be produced before the Principal Special Judge for SPE & ACB cases at Hyderabad for judicial remand.
This is the latest in a series of arrests of senior government officials by the Telangana ACB in disproportionate assets cases.
Last week, suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sankireddy Bheem Reddy was sent to judicial custody in the disproportionate assets case after he was allegedly found to be owning illegal assets worth about Rs 300 crore.
The ACB arrested him days after searches at multiple locations linked to him and the investigation into alleged corruption and illegal assets.
The anti-graft agency said that he had acquired disproportionate assets to his known sources of income by indulging in corrupt practices and dubious means during his service.
The ACB officials had carried out simultaneous searches at the officer’s residence and 15 other premises linked to his relatives, friends, alleged benamidars and associates across Telangana and Karnataka on July 2.
The assets seized by the ACB during the searches are estimated to be valued at around Rs 300 crore, making it one of the biggest anti-corruption cases involving a Telangana police officer.
–IANS
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