ACB sleuths raid Visakhapatnam official, find Rs 50 crore

Visakhapatnam: ACB sleuths on Monday netted another big fish Additional Chief Urban Planner of Vuda Pasuparthi Pradeep Kumar for possessing disproportionate assets over and above his known sources of income.

The seized illegal assets, including cash, gold, land holdings, houses and a few others, would easily be in excess of Rs 50 crore as per the market rates.

The 53-year-old Pradeep Kumar, on deputation, assumed charge as  Additional Chief Urban Planner of Vuda around two weeks ago and was said to have influenced few politicos to get the posting in Vizag city. 

ACB Director-General R.P. Thakur said Pradeep had amassed illegal assets by indulging in corrupt practices. The raids were conducted simultaneously at 12 places, including Kumar's residence and office in Vizag city, houses of his parents, relatives and friends at Anantapur, Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Ongole. Of them, six were in Vizag city. The raids were conducted in the houses of Pradeep Kumar’s elder son, father, wife's sister, in-laws and friends. 

“We have seized documents of one house plot measuring 500 sqyd at Madhurwada, a flat at Kirlampudi Layout in Vizag city and another flat in Anantapur in the name of the accused Pradeep Kumar,” said DSP of ACB, S.V.V.S. Prasad. Most of the illegal assets were in the name of Kumar’s wife and documents pertaining to two house sites measuring 311 sqyd each at Madhurawada and one measuring 166 sqyd at Devinagar in Vijayawada were seized.

“We also seized agricultural land measuring 4.08 cents at Mydukuru area in Kadapa district,” he said.