Bhopal, Dec 27 (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on Friday morning at the residences of former RTO constable Saurabh Sharma and his associate, builder Rohit Tiwari. Searches were carried out at Sharma's residence in Gwalior and Tiwari's premises in Shastri Nagar, Jabalpur.
The raids are part of an ongoing investigation following the recovery of 52 kilograms of gold bricks, silver, and Rs 11 crore in cash from an abandoned car in Bhopal last week. ED officials, supported by CRPF personnel, secured Tiwari's residence during the operation. Family members of Tiwari are being questioned as part of the probe.
The I-T department is trying to know how many cash transactions have been done by Sharma and how much money he has invested in which property.
Sources revealed that Rohit Tiwari is a relative of Saurabh Sharma, and the ex-RTO constable allegedly invested significant amounts of money in Tiwari’s construction firm, Omega Realcon Pvt Ltd.
Multiple agencies, including the Income Tax (IT) Department and Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta, had earlier conducted searches at Sharma's Bhopal premises and those of his associates. Notably, Sharma left for Dubai before these raids. The abandoned vehicle containing gold and cash was discovered on December 19.
The IT department stumbled upon the vehicle in Mendori village while conducting some investigations. The recovery of such a large quantity of gold biscuits, suspected to be smuggled from Dubai or Switzerland, has raised serious questions. Officials are also exploring the possibility that the gold was converted from ornaments and are tracking the financial trail, including cash transactions and investments linked to Sharma.
On Thursday, the Bhopal District Court rejected Saurabh Sharma's anticipatory bail plea. Sharma’s lawyer argued that his client, being a non-public servant, does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Lokayukta and has no connection with the seized gold and cash. The court, however, dismissed these claims and denied interim relief.
Sources have indicated that a diary recovered during the investigation contains names of bureaucrats and influential figures linked to Sharma’s operations. Authorities are expanding the probe to identify the full extent of the network and trace the origins of the smuggled gold.