Disproportionate assets were unearthed from properties belonging to tainted Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector (AMVI) Saragadam Venkata Rao on Sunday by officials of the Central Investigation Unit (CIU) of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Vijayawada.
Venkata Rao was arrested on Saturday by the ACB on charges of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. Officials estimate the value of properties seized so far to be over Rs 5 crore, but the market value of these properties is expected to be between Rs 60 crore and Rs 70 crore. Venkata Rao has been arrested.
On Saturday night, ACB officials searched the houses of Venkata Rao’s driver S Shankar Rao, his nephew Suresh and one another person. According to the Hindu, the search went on till 4 am on Sunday.
According to the New Indian Express, a total of three rounds of raids were conducted against Venkata Rao and his associates — one on November 3, one on November 7, and third on Saturday and Sunday.
During the third round, the ACB found suitcases containing 2.25 kg gold, Rs 11 lakh cash, 10 promissory notes and property documents worth Rs 1.2 crore.
“We received information from reliable sources that two suitcases belonging to Venkata Rao were stashed at the Gopalapatnam house of one J Srinivasa Rao, a gas mechanic by profession,” ACB DSP (CIU) Ramadevi told the media.
Venkata Rao’s relative Lakshmi Madhiri allegedly handed over the two suitcases to the gas mechanic. The DSP said that Lakshmi received one of the suitcases two years ago, and the second suitcase 10 days ago.
The officials also recovered a third suitcase with Rs 4.50 lakh in the house of Venkata Rao’s nephew Kalla Suresh. Additionally, Rs 3.40 lakh was recovered from his driver Shankar Rao’s home at Aripaka in Sabbavaram mandal.
In October, the ACB raided properties belonging to Rajahmundry Education Department Assistant Director Maile Prabhakar Rao. The registered value of his properties was found to be Rs 1.62 crore, but the market value was found to be closer to Rs 30 crore.
In May, an office attendant in Nellore district’s transport department was found holding properties worth Rs 100 crore. The ACB raided his properties and are still investigating the disproportionate assets held by him. He used to allegedly decline promotions at his job.
In July, ACB officers raided Pollution Control Board environmental engineer Emani Satyanarayana’s holdings in Vijayawada, Nellore, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad, and seized properties worth crores of rupees.