PATNA: The Special Vigilance Unit (SVU), anti-corruption wing of the Bihar police, on Thursday conducted simultaneous searches at the office and residential premises of a senior official of the state education department, Virendra Narayan in Patna, Muzaffarpur and Purnea districts in connection with a disproportionate assets case.
Virendra Narayan is currently posted as the regional deputy director of education (RDDE), Tirhut in Muzaffarpur.
Before being elevated to the post of RDDE, he was posted as the district education officer (DEO) of Vaishali district.
The RDDE has been accused of accumulating disproportionate assets worth Rs 3.75 crore.
Officials engaged in the search operation said that Rs 4 lakh in cash and documents related to huge investments have been recovered from his house at Jaganpura in Patna.
A huge cash has also been recovered from his rented accommodation in Muzaffarpur.
Narayan owned a palatial house in Purnea, which is estimated to be worth Rs 5 crore. “A search warrant was obtained from the competent court against RDDE in question on Wednesday,” Chandra Bhushan Kumar, DSP, SVU, said.
Kumar said that Virendra Narayan was under the scanner of the probe agency when departmental proceedings were initiated against him during his stint as DEO of Vaishali district.
The then district magistrate of Vaishali, Yash Pal Meena, had disciplinary action against him for his involvement in financial irregularities.
Virendra Narayan was appointed as DEO, Vaishali, on July 10, 2022. He remained on the post till July 4, 2024.
Officials confirmed that documents, laptops, and other electronic devices were seized during the operation.
The members of the raiding teams were going through the financial papers, with entry to the raided premises strictly barred. “Complaints against Narayan had been coming to SVU for some time,” a senior SVU official said, adding that the complete valuation of seized assets will be made public once the documentation process is finished.