HYDERABAD: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted raids at the residence of Hyderabad Central Crime Station (CCS) ACP Uma Maheshwar Rao at Ashok Nagar here on Tuesday. Simultaneous raids, lasting nine hours, were also carried out at the homes of Rao’s relatives at eight different locations. He was arrested and will be produced in court on Wednesday.
ACB officials, during the raids they conducted in coordination with their Andhra Pradesh counterparts, seized s 38 lakh in cash, 60 tolas of gold and documents pertaining to real estate properties worth Rs 3.4 crore, including four flats at Ashok Nagar, 17 house plots at Ghatkesar, Shamirpet, Kukatpally, Malkajgiri and Chodavaram and Vizag in AP.
The ACB also identified two bank lockers belonging to Rao. During the raids, the ACB sleuths came across a diary containing the name of Sandeep Gone, former DCP working with Madhapur Zone. He was transferred during the recent Lok Sabha elections as SP of railways (admin). Sources said that police will investigate if there are any potential financial dealings between the two.
The raids were conducted in the wake of allegations that Rao was involved in land disputes and extorted money from the victims of alleged fraudulent activities of Sahiti Infra. He was the investigating officer of the case registered by the Hyderabad CCS in January 2023 against the real estate firm for alleged fraud to the extent of Rs 1,000 crore.
Rao allegedly extorted large sums of money in settling land disputes. He was suspended for reportedly misbehaving with women police personnel in the Abids police station. There are also allegations that he misbehaved with victims while he was working in Rachakonda Commissionerate.
The open market value of the properties owned by Rao is said to be much higher than the official estimates.
Officer owns 4 flats, several plots in Hyd
The registration documents seized by the ACB pertain to the properties owned by Uma Maheshwar Rao. They include four flats at Ashok Nagar and 14 land properties located at Shamirpet, Kukatpally, Ghatkesar, Malkajgiri in Hyderabad and Vizag and Chodavaram in AP.