A Deputy Inspector (Survey) in the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) department in Visakhapatnam has been arrested by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) teams on Friday for allegedly possessing disproportionate assets worth over Rs 2 crore.

Mummana Rajeswara Rao has been working in the department for the past few years.

On Friday, the Central Investigation Unit of the ACB led by DSP Ramadevi reportedly raided Rajeswara's residence in NGOS Colony in Muralinagar, Visakhapatnam.  

According to PTI, the search team found that three residential flats, an independent three storey building, and three open plots were registered in the accused officer's name.

The team also discovered that there were various properties in different parts of Visakhapatnam that were in the name of his wife and two daughters.

The search team also seized 400 gms gold, 3 kgs silver ornaments, Rs 10,000 cash, fixed deposits worth Rs 50,000, a Maruti Swift car and two two-wheelers from his house.

According to reports, Rajeswara had earlier worked at G Madugula, a village in Visakhapatnam district, and also as a Surveyor in Land Acquisition of the NTPC and Steel Plant in the same district.

Between the years 2012 to 2016, Rajeswara managed to earn several illegal assets.

“The Urban Land Ceiling Act came into being in 1976, limiting each individual to own not more than 1,500 square yards. Joint families file an application with ULC department for NOC to claim that the land belonged to the family and seek ways to avoid the Act provisions. Mummana Rajeswara Rao collected huge bribes for issuing such NOCs,” ACB officials told Deccan Chronicle.

A source also told DC that the ACB has further collected about 300 gms of gold ornaments and documents from a bank locker.