GUNTUR: ACB sleuths unearthed assets disproportionate to the income of Devisetty Durga Prasad, a 46-year-old police officer, working as a DSP at the police training college in Ongole of Prakasam district.
Eleven teams of the ACB conducted raids on the houses and properties of Durga Prasad and his relatives in Guntur city, Chirala town of Prakasam district, Hyderabad and 11 other locations.
A team led by ACB DSP A Rama Devi conducted raids on the houses of Durga Prasad and his relatives in Guntur. Till evening, disproportionate assets worth Rs 2.5 crore (book value) were unearthed, the market value of which is estimated to be several tens of crores of rupees. Raids by the ACB were still continuing, when the reports last came in.
Several property documents were recovered from Savaram Ramesh, a close associate of the accused since 2002, when he was working as sub-inspector at Guntur Taluk police station. Incidentally, Savaram Ramesh, his brother and his father are white ration card holders and hail from poor family backgrounds. They have never filed any IT returns till date.
Another Benami, according to ACB officials is Tummala Subba Rao, who is also a close associate of the accused since 2002. He too is a white ration card holder, and had worked as a clerk in a small crusher unit before he got acquainted with the accused. He now runs a PUS Crusher Stone Company.
The accused officer joined the police department as a sub-inspector on September 19, 1991, and got promoted as an inspector in 2007.
He was suspended on charges of being involved in a civil dispute, while working as the circle inspector of Pattabhipuram police station in Guntur city on November 18, 2013.
The suspension was later revoked and he was promoted to the post of DSP in 2014.
Meanwhile, on learning about the raids on DSP Durga Prasad’s properties, several people in Guntur celebrated saying action had finally been taken against the corrupt official.
N Sowjanya Kumar, grandson of AP Legislative Assembly’s first Speaker N Venkatramaiah was among those who burst crackers.
It was in the case related to Sowjanya Kumar’s property that Durga Prasad had gotten suspended in 2013.