Anti corruption bureau investigation team have found disproportionate assets worth more than 500 crores with Andhra Pradesh Town and Country Planning director, Golla Venkata Raghu. In addition to this, his benami Nalluri Sivaprasad has also been implicated with evidence for illegal assets. Property documents of more than 50 crore, book value, 50 lakhs in cash and 10 crores in gold and jewellery have been seized. The tip for the amassed assets indicates corruption in his tenures as city planner in Vizag, Vijaywada and Hyderabad.
Anti corruption bureau caught up with his benami Nalluri Sivaprasad who was working as junior technical officer in the engineering department of Vijaywada Municipal Corporation. The search operations target started on Monday at 23 locations. This included the culprit’s house as well as his benami’s house in Mangalgiri. The sites were in Vijaywada, Shirdi, Nellore, Tirupati, Vizag and Rajanagaram. The locations that turned up the seized assets were not just his. They included his relatives, close associates and colleagues.
Operations: The accused had received huge sums of money from various contractors and real estate developers as a means of gratification. Various irregularities have been revealed from 2009 onwards that implicate Venkata Raghu. This money has been channelled into properties at various sites and a hotel in Shirdi. Anti corruption bureau have found properties registered in the benami’s name from the time when he was working with the main accused in Vijaywada.
Stash in the Washing Machine: At the benami’s house the anti corruption bureau officials were shocked to see assets in the form of 8 kgs of gold and jewellery, 23 kgs of silver and property documents stashed in the washing machine. At Venkata Raghu’s residence and his associate’s house, 4 crores were recovered. The accused has been taken in and will be produced before an Anti-Corruption Bureau Special Court.
The main accused had only a month to go for retirement and was planning to celebrate in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong with his family members, relatives and friends. This went kaput when he was discovered and booked red handed.
