KOCHI: A high profile IAS official, who is facing probe on charges of allegedly amassing wealth, was raided by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) early on Friday morning.
The sleuths searched the office and residences of Additional Chief Secretary Tom Jose at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Irinjalakuda, after having obtained a search warrant from the Vigilance Court in Muvattupuzha on Thursday.
The agency had filed a confidential FIR before the court on Wednesday.
According to Special Cell SP P V Sasidharan, the raid started from 6 am, at his office in the secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, an apartment at Althara, Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram, another apartment at Stadium Link Road, Kaloor, Kochi and at his wife's house in Irinjalakuda.
The case is a follow-up of an inquiry conducted against Tom Jose regarding his purchase of land in Sindhudurg district of Maharastra. "It was found that Tom Jose owns wealth worth Rs 1.91 crore disproportionate to known source of income," said Sasidharan.
The ousted MD of Kochi Metro Rail is in for more trouble. "We will interrogate Tom Jose and his relatives in this regard later," Sasidharan said.
However, Jose claimed that cases against his kin and him had been dropped by the previous government, and charged that the new move by the VACB was aimed at "taking revenge". Jose said he would face the matter legally.