Patna: The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) on Wednesday conducted simultaneous raids at six locations linked to Pawan Kumar, superintending engineer, building construction circle-1, Patna, in a disproportionate assets case. Searches are underway in Patna, Bhagalpur, Noida and New Delhi. Assets worth over Rs 3.89 crore have been unearthed so far, officials said.Searches were conducted at his flat in North SK Puri, Patna; a house in Bhagalpur; a flat in Sector 75, Noida; another property in Noida; and a flat in Sector 10, Dwarka, New Delhi. The Dwarka address could not be verified.An FIR was registered at the EOU police station under Section 13(2), read with 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.According to the EOU, Pawan Kumar, a native of Bhagalpur and currently residing in Patna, joined govt service as an assistant engineer in July 1997. “Prima facie, he acquired assets 103.94% in excess of his known sources of income during service,” it said.After obtaining search warrants from the Special Vigilance Court, Patna, EOU teams led by DSPs and inspectors raided six locations. The operation continued till late evening.From his Patna flat, officials recovered Rs 5.15 lakh in cash, jewellery worth Rs 39 lakh and invoices related to purchases. A total of 18 bank and PPF accounts in his and his family members’ names, with deposits of around Rs 90 lakh, have been frozen. Documents related to six LIC policies, four Bajaj Allianz policies, one ICICI Prudential policy and three Max Life policies were also seized. Annual premium payments are about Rs 3 lakh. A sedan was also found.EOU said Pawan bought 13 land parcels, flats and houses during service, and documents linked to these have been recovered.“In 2007, he purchased a flat in North SK Puri jointly with his wife, Avedika Singh, where the family resides. In 2008, he bought a two-storey house in Ashiana Nagar, Patna. Between 2021 and 2023, nine sale deeds were executed in the names of his wife and sons for 134.88 decimal — about 2 bigha 4 kattha — of commercial land,” the statement said, adding that the plot has been enclosed with a boundary wall.The land will be valued during the investigation. He had also purchased flats in Sector 75, Noida, and Greater Noida, both of which were later sold.EOU said large sums were spent on children’s education, and evidence of foreign travel by family members has been found. These expenses are being assessed.Officials said there are inputs about more properties in Noida and nearby areas, which are being verified. Searches are ongoing and the disproportionate assets figure may rise.The building construction department, Pawan’s parent department, has been informed about the case and alleged misconduct.
