JAIPUR: The alleged ₹900 crore scam in the Jal Jeevan Mission has triggered one of the biggest anti corruption crackdowns in Rajasthan in recent years, with the Anti Corruption Bureau launching simultaneous raids at 15 locations across the country on Tuesday.
The early morning operation sent shockwaves through the state’s bureaucracy and political establishment.
ACB teams carried out searches in Jaipur, Barmer, Sikar and Jalore within Rajasthan. In parallel action, raids were also conducted in Bihar and Jharkhand to examine firms linked to the Jal Jeevan Mission scam.
Officials scrutinised documents, electronic records and financial transactions connected to the allocation of tenders under the scheme.
Retired senior IAS officer Subodh Agarwal has also come under the scanner. According to sources, ACB officials searched his residence and questioned him regarding the approval of contracts during his tenure.
He is suspected of allegedly facilitating tenders worth crores in favour of select companies on the basis of forged experience certificates.
Besides Agarwal, over half a dozen individuals have been detained for questioning. The operation is being supervised by ACB Director General Govind Gupta and Additional Director General Smita Srivastava.
Those detained include KD Gupta, Niril Kumar, Sushil Sharma, DK Gaur, Mahendra Soni, Vishal Saxena, Dinesh Goyal, Shubhanshu Dixit and Arun Srivastava. Officials indicated that formal arrests of some suspects may be announced after further interrogation.
The investigation is being overseen by DIG Dr Rameshwar Singh and SP Pushpendra Singh Rathore, who heads the Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the case.
During the searches, teams reportedly seized electronic devices, financial documents, diaries and bank transaction records that are expected to help trace the alleged money trail.
Earlier in the probe, the former PHED minister in the previous Ashok Gehlot government, Mahesh Joshi, and several engineers were arrested in connection with the case.
Tuesday’s coordinated action suggests that the investigation has widened in scope, with enforcement agencies now focusing on senior officials and key beneficiaries allegedly linked to irregularities in Jal Jeevan Mission tenders.