The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigating the corruption case of Keesara Tahsildar Erva Balaraju Nagaraju seized gold ornaments weighing 1.5 kg preserved in a bank locker on Thursday. The ornaments were worth Rs 57.6 lakh, according to the ACB. The gold was found in the name of G Narender, relative of Balaraju, who had kept it in a bank in Alwal. Action has been initiated against Narender as well.
ACB Director General T Ramana Kumar said that the seized gold was produced before the Special Judge. Balaraju was arrested on August 14 after he was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 1.10 crore from a land developer in return for an official favour. Along with Balaraju, the land dealer Chowla Srikanth and land broker Kandadi Anji Reddy, too, were arrested.
The Tahsildar had accepted the bribe to settle a 28-acre land dispute at Rampally Dayara under Keesara mandal in Medchal-Malkajgiri district. The Tahsildar had allegedly sought Rs 2 crore as a bribe to issue the pattadar passbook for the disputed 28 acres land parcel, according to the ACB. The arrested officer allegedly assured the land developer that he would issue a doctored pattadar passbook despite a High Court order in favour of the farmers.
The ACB sleuths had found cash and seized several documents from his residence earlier.
The seized documents and the inquiry helped in recovering the gold ornaments. Balaraju is presently jailed in Chanchalguda Central Prison.
According to reports, he reportedly used a rowdy sheeter, as one of his benamis. To evade scrutiny by Income Tax officials, Nagaraju developed links with two NRIs and purchased open plots, agriculture lands and other property on their names.
During his tenure as Deputy Tahsildar of Shameerpet, he allegedly collected ‘mammool’ (extortion), according to ACB.