Rs 18 crore assets found after raid at retired excise officer's premises in MP

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Madhya Pradesh's Lokayukta police have raided the premises of a retired excise officer in two cities and unearthed movable and immovable assets of Rs 18.59 crore, including Rs 1.13 crore in cash, an official said.

Based on a complaint of disproportionate assets, the raids were conducted on Wednesday at a property in Gwalior and seven other locations in Indore belonging to former excise officer Dharmendra Singh Bhadoria, Lokayukta Police Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Sunil Talan said.

The raids revealed movable and immovable assets of Rs 18.59 crore belonging to Bhadoria and his family, including an ancestral home, four flats, and a three-storey house being constructed on a 4,700-square-foot plot, he said.

Bhadoria retired as Alirajpur's district excise officer on August 31, the official said.

"We estimate that Bhadoria earned approximately Rs 2 crore in salary and allowances during his 38 years of government service. It's clear the value of the Bhadauria family's movable and immovable assets was many times greater than the retired officer's legitimate income," he said.

The DSP said 4.22 kg of gold and 7.13 kg of silver in the form of bars and jewellery were also recovered from premises linked to Bhadoria along with Rs 1.13 crore and 5,000 euros in cash.

Expensive vehicles, furniture, sarees, watches and perfumes were also recovered during the raids, he informed. The Lokayukta police have also received information about Bhadoria's family's investments in films, Talan said.

A case has been registered against the retired officer under the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2018, and a detailed investigation is underway, he added.