Former bureaucrat in ACB net in disproportionate assets case

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday registered a disproportionate assets case against former bureaucrat Kuldeep Khajuria and conducted searches at seven locations in different parts of the country during which incriminating documents against him were recovered, officials said.

A search was first conducted at Khajuria's three-storey residence at Trikuta Nagar here during which documents were recovered which revealed that he had acquired many properties and assets, both movable and immovable, worth crores of rupees in his and his family members' names during his service, a spokesman of the ACB said.

Khajuria retired as secretary from government service in December, 2016.

He had held many lucrative positions including Deputy Commissioner, Poonch; Special Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department; Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Jammu; Vice Chairman, Jammu Development Authority; Director, Urban Local Bodies, Jammu; and Secretary, Rural Development Department during his service period between 1984 and 2016.

His assets include a flat each in Chandigarh, Noida and Haryana, over 2.12 acres of land at Chowdhi and Sainik Colony in Jammu and Rakh Bhagla in Samba, gold ornaments weighing around 500 gms, a restaurant at Channi-Himmat in Jammu and fixed deposits amounting to Rs 40 lakhs, the spokesman said.

"A formal case under relevant laws was registered against the accused and subsequently, seven teams conducted searches of the properties belonging to him and his family at seven locations including Noida, Chandigarh and Haryana," the official said, adding that during the course of searches ACB teams found incriminating documents relating to acquisition of assets or properties that are disproportionate to his known sources of income.

He said Khajuria has partnership in Kashmir Bottles situated in Samba, a share in the partnership in National Marketing Corporation, 50 per cent share partnership in Moonlight Bar and Restaurant situated at Bari Brahmana, a manufacturing industrial unit of corrugated boxes, a unit named Bhaskar Lights at SIDCO Birpur, Samba and had lent interest-free loan of Rs 20 lakhs to a resident of Jammu.

The spokesman alleged the assets and properties were raised by him during his service period by resorting to illegal and corrupt practices as they are disproportionate to his known sources of income.

"Further investigation of the case is going on," he said.