Bangalore: Raids Find IAS Officer, Govt Officials Owning Huge Wealth
Bangalore, Jun 23 (DHNS): The Lokayukta police on Friday conducted raids on the premises of five government officials including IAS officer Syed Zameer Pasha, who is set to retire shortly.
The extent of Pasha’s disproportionate assets has been pegged at a staggering 2.72 times of his known income.
Police also raided the houses of Lakshman Rao Peshwe, Managing Director of Karnataka Neeravari Nigama Limited, Mruthyunjaya B Burji, Additional Secretary of PWD, Kenche Gowda, Police Inspector of Yelahanka police station, and G Nagaraj, Accounts Controller at Bescom.
Lokayukta investigators have found that Pasha owns two properties in Richmond town, a house in Magadi road, 25 acres of agricultural land in Magadi, two flats – at Tilaknagar and at Koramangala, a flat in his son’s name in Kadugodi and a site in his daughter’s name in HSR Layout. The registration value of all the property is said to be Rs 3.4 crore.
In addition, Pasha also owns four educational institutions in Magadi and Ramanagara and his family members are trustees of these institutions. Gold weighing 2.5 kg was also found, apart from several bank accounts and vehicles.
Addressing a press conference later in the day, Additional Director General of Police, Lokayukta, H N Sathyanarayana Rao said the police “had no intention of maligning anybody”, but would investigate any government official, if a complaint was lodged.
Stating that the investigations were in progress and would continue on Saturday, Rao appreciated the work of the Lokayukta police officers of Bangalore division.
“We have more court referred cases and we have to give report to the court from time to time. Despite that we have been able to conduct these investigations and raids due to the efforts of the officers of Bangalore urban and rural,” he said.
Currency, jewellery tumble out of govt officers’ cupboards
Raids conducted by the Lokayukta police on Friday on the house of Lakshman Rao Peshwe, managing director of Karnataka Neeravari Nigama Limited, have yielded foreign currency amounting to Rs 2.07 lakh.
Police also seized documents pertaining to two flats in Jayanagar, one on Kanakapura Road, two houses in BHEL Layout at Kengeri, four sites on Hennur-Banaswadi Road and a site in Horamavu.
The registration value of the properties is estimated to be Rs 2.83 crore. Bank accounts, deposits and cash yielded more than Rs 1.3 crore.
At the house of Mrutyunjaya Burji, additional secretary, Public Works Department, police discovered foreign currency amounting to Rs 42,971 and cash amounting to Rs 2.80 lakh. Gold weighing 2.06 kg, diamonds and silver were also found.
Documents pertaining to a house in Nagarbhavi, a site in Chandra Layout, a farmhouse in Kengeri, and plots in Hubli and Dharwad, worth about Rs 70 lakh, have been found. About Rs 20 lakh in cash has been recovered from various bank accounts operated in the names of his family members.
Police also raided three properties belonging to police inspector Kenchegowda, attached to the Yelahanka police station.
The total registration value of these properties, including a three-storey residential building in Sapthagiri Layout, a complex in Kamakshipalya, and four acres of agricultural land in Tumkur district, is estimated at Rs 1.9 crore.
Kolar Lokayukta police raided the house of G Nagaraj, accounts controller, Bescom, and found that he possessed 22 sites measuring 30x20 sq feet in Kolar, and three other sites valued at Rs one crore. Jewellery worth Rs 21.25 lakh and other articles were also seized.
Searches are likely to continue on Saturday.