ACB Raids AEE Premises, Unearths Disproportionate Assets Worth Rs 150 crore

Hyderabad: An assistant executive engineer (AEE) of the irrigation department Herur Nikesh Kumar, who was earlier caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh, has reportedly amassed Rs 100 crore worth ill-gotten assets.

Sleuths of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday conducted raids on 20 different places in Hyderabad, Sangareddy and Rangareddy districts and found illegal assets amassed by the accused officer. Kumar purchased three farmhouses in Moinabad, 15 acres of agricultural land in Kollur and house sites at different places.

According to ACB officials, searches at the officer's residence in Hyderabad and his relatives' residences revealed several illegal properties owned by him. They included five house plots, two commercial complexes and agriculture land, whose document value is estimated at Rs 17.73 crore.

Kumar, who is under suspension, reportedly issued NoCs to real estate companies, individuals and businessmen to construct buildings at buffer zones by accepting huge bribes. Working on a complaint against his manipulations, ACB officials caught him red-handed while accepting Rs 1 lakh bribe in the form of cash from the complainant to issue a NoC for constructing a house on May 30.

It was also reported that ACB officials obtained the SBI bank account of the accused officer, who had made suspicious transactions.

The officials said that they calculated the value of seized movable and immovable based on documents and the market value of these properties would be more. They estimated that the officer had amassed illegal assets that was valued at over Rs 100 crore by misusing his powers.