ACB raids 9 C'garh officials, unearths assets worth crores

The Anti-Corruption Bureau and Economic Offences Wing today conducted raidsat different places in the state, including residences of nine government officials, and recovered unaccounted cash besides unearthing disproportionate assets worth several crores.
Separate teams of ACB and EOW conducted simultaneous raids at 15 places in Raipur, Korba, Dantewada, Bilaspur and other districts and recovered unaccounted cash and documents relating to disproportionate properties from the possession of the nine government officials, Additional Director General (ACB/EOW) Mukesh Gupta told reporters here this evening.
"Over 100 officials and employees ofACBand EOW, besides gazetted officers were involved in the operation based on complaints received against these officials," the ADG said.

"The exact assessment of the value of unearthed disproportionate assets is yet to be done as the operation is underway. Although, as per the preliminary investigation, it would not be less than Rs 50 crore," he said.
As per the statement of ACB/EOW, maximum disproportionate assets were so far unearthed from the possession of Additional Director Social Welfare Department (Raipur) M L Pandey.
His assets include an "expensive" house in posh Agroha colony here, three plots in the same locality in the name of his family members (son and wife), a two-storey house built up on 10,000 sq ft area in Kota here, a big building in the name of his wife in Durg district's Adarsh Nagar, where a school is being run, the ADG said.

Besides, 23 acres of land in Durg's Patan area and investment worth crores of rupees into properties in Pune, Mumbai and other places outside the state are also part of his assets, he said.

"His wealth also includes Rs one crore deposited in different banks and jewellery," Gupta added.
In another case, a raid was conducted on the premises of District Education Officer (Dantewada district) Subhash Ganjir, where Rs 8.71 lakhs, 500 gm gold and other ornamentswere seized, he said.
Documents of 40 different properties and three houses worth Rs 1.50 crore were also unearthed from his possession, he said.

Raids are also being conducted on the premises of Assistant Director of Industrial Health and Safety Avinash Gunjal, Executive Engineer Public Health Engineering department (Korba district) K S Chandra, Executive Engineer Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (Bilaspur district) Pradeep Kumar Gupta, Sub Divisional Officer Forest (Korea) Rameshwar Prasad Sahu, Assistant Food officer (Bilaspur) A K Tamboli, Joint Director Agriculture Department and Registrar Agriculture University Raipur Salik Ram Verma and Nodal officer Co-operative Bank (Janjgir-Champa) Shravan Singh, the official added.