Kiran Purushottam Chaudhary, the then Additional District Registrar and Stamp Duty Officer (Class-I) in Akola, was caught allegedly accepting a Rs 10,000 bribe on June 26.

Akola officer caught taking Rs 10,000 bribe, Rs 2.94 crore assets unearthed

An ACB search at the Jalgaon home of arrested officer Kiran Purushottam Chaudhary uncovered assets worth Rs 2.94 crore. The recovery has widened the bribery probe into a disproportionate assets investigation.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Search teams from Nashik, Akola and Jalgaon carried out the joint operation
  • Officials recovered cash, gold, silver, property papers and household valuables
  • Two 160-gram gold biscuits were among the precious items seized

What began as a Rs 10,000 bribery case has snowballed into a major anti-corruption investigation after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) unearthed assets worth nearly Rs 2.95 crore from the Jalgaon residence of a senior Maharashtra government officer arrested last month.

Kiran Purushottam Chaudhary, the then Additional District Registrar and Stamp Duty Officer (Class-I) in Akola, was caught allegedly accepting a Rs 10,000 bribe on June 26. Subsequent searches at his sealed house in Jalgaon's Vishnunagar area led to the recovery of cash, gold, property documents and other valuables worth Rs 2.94 crore, officials said.

The seizure was made during a joint operation by ACB teams from Nashik, Akola and Jalgaon as part of an ongoing probe into the corruption case registered against the officer.

Rs 1.53 CRORE CASH, GOLD AND PROPERTY PAPERS RECOVERED

According to the ACB, the total value of assets recovered from the house stood at Rs 2,94,64,847.

The haul included:

Cash: Rs 1,53,84,630

Gold jewellery and gold biscuits (422.1 grams): Valued at Rs 60,57,135

Silver jewellery (154.1 grams): Valued at Rs 31,416

Gold purchase receipts: Rs 11,52,745

Property-related documents: Rs 62,13,376

Valuable household items: Rs 6,25,545

Among the gold recovered were two gold biscuits weighing 160 grams each, along with other jewellery items. Investigators also seized property documents, gift deeds and purchase records linked to assets allegedly owned by Chaudhary and his family members.

Additional Superintendent of Police Pradeep Mairale said the seized assets had been deposited in the district treasury as per procedure and that authorities were now examining whether the wealth was disproportionate to the officer's known sources of income.

ATTEMPT TO ENTER SEALED HOUSE FOILED

The ACB said it had obtained permission to search the Jalgaon residence while investigating the corruption case registered at City Kotwali Police Station in Akola under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

When officials first visited the property on June 25, they found it locked and sealed the premises in the presence of witnesses.

However, on June 27, two relatives of the accused allegedly broke open locks at the rear and main entrances of the house and attempted to gain entry, raising suspicions that they were trying to destroy potential evidence.

ACB officials detained both men at the spot. A separate case was subsequently registered at the District Peth Police Station in Jalgaon under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

The arrested relatives were identified as Prasad Vasant Narkhede and Pravin Ashok Mahajan.

SEARCH CONDUCTED IN PRESENCE OF FAMILY, EXPERTS

A detailed search of the house was carried out on July 2 in the presence of Chaudhary's wife, Manisha Kiran Chaudhary, family members, independent witnesses, a gold valuer and a bank cashier.

The operation led to the discovery of the cash reserves, precious metals, property records and other valuables that significantly expanded the scope of the investigation.

PROBE EXPANDS BEYOND BRIBERY CASE

The case originated on June 26 when the Akola ACB, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Milind Bahakar, allegedly caught Chaudhary accepting a Rs 10,000 bribe at the District Collectorate office in Akola.

Following his arrest, a court remanded him to police custody for a day before sending him to judicial custody. He remains in jail.

With the recovery of assets worth nearly Rs 3 crore, investigators are now examining the source of the wealth and whether it exceeds the officer's legitimate income. The ACB is also probing whether any other individuals may have been involved in the accumulation or concealment of the assets.

Officials said further action would be taken based on the findings of the ongoing investigation.

- Ends
With inputs from Manish Jog