Patna: Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) recovered Rs 9.5 lakh in cash and gold and silver jewellery valued at around Rs 81 lakh during searches at different premises of Harendra Kumar, executive engineer of the minor water resources department, Banka division, in a disproportionate assets case. The searches also led to the recovery of several documents related to land and property.The SVU had registered a case against Kumar on Aug 10 under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018. The case followed verification of information alleging that the engineer had accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. According to the preliminary investigation, he joined govt service in 2015 and allegedly acquired substantial assets through illegal and corrupt means during his postings at different locations.Based on a search warrant issued by the special vigilance court, Patna, separate teams conducted simultaneous raids on Tuesday at five residential and office locations linked to Kumar. These included his flat at Janak Nandini Apartment in Mahavir Nagar, Patna, another apartment in Phulwarisharif in the name of his wife Soni, his ancestral property at Simarwara village in Patepur, Vaishali, his office in Banka and a rented house in Krishna Nagar, Banka.During the searches, investigators found evidence of assets allegedly acquired by Kumar and his wife. The SVU also recovered eight documents relating to land and property, including plots in Phulwarisharif, Patepur, Sampatchak and Danapur, a flat at an apartment under Patrakar Nagar police station and another flat near Mithapur. The properties have a combined stated value of around Rs 1.4 lakh.The raid at Kumar’s apartment in Mahavir Nagar resulted in the recovery of Rs 9.5 lakh in cash and gold and silver jewellery estimated at around Rs 81 lakh. Investigators also found vouchers and bills relating to purchases of expensive items, along with documents concerning his ancestral property in Simarwara, from where Rs 3.4 lakh in cash was recovered.The SVU said information about five bank accounts held in the names of Kumar and his wife had also been obtained. Investigators are examining the seized documents and scrutinising the transactions and deposits in these accounts as part of the ongoing probe.The preliminary verification had already indicated that Kumar possessed disproportionate assets worth about Rs 2 crore 20 lakh compared with his govt salary and other known sources of income. “The latest recoveries and documents seized during the raids will now be examined to establish the complete extent and source of the assets,” the officials said.
