The Lokayukta police have conducted raids at the residence of a PWD employee in Indore and unearthed disproportionate assets worth Rs 22 crore from him.
The accused, Guru Kripal Singh Bhatia, had joined the department as a watchman and later was promoted to the post of time-keeper.
Documents recovered from Bhatia have revealed that he was the owner of 14 residential properties, land at 11 different places totaling 30 acres, four luxury cars apart from Rs 35 lakh in cash that the sleuths of Lokayukta seized from his house in Indore. The current salary of Singh is stated to be around Rs 22,000 and he had joined the PWD as a watchman in 1989. In 2008, he was promoted to time-keeper.
According to Lokayukta sources, the estimated value of the assets recovered from Singh is likely to be around Rs 22 crore. “This is the initial estimate and we are still in the process of verifying the worth of the immovable assets, which he owns. He also operates 35 bank accounts and has invested `35 lakh in fixed deposits and an equal amount in insurance policies.
“The exact value of the total assets will be clear in a day or two as many of the properties is in the names of his relatives. Singh had bought these properties in and around Indore,” a Lokayukta official said.
The officials also found two guns and 22 bottles of imported liquor from Bhatia’s residence.
“In the 25 years of his service, his total earning cannot be more than Rs15 lakh but he owns assets more than 100 times that of his earnings. We were receiving regular inputs regarding his multiple investments in properties after which this raid was carried out,” the official added.
The 15-member Lokayukta team reached the residence of Singh at 5 am and was able to enter his home after facing a stiff resistance from his family members.