Telangana RERA Secretary Shiva Balakrishna arrested by ACB after 24-hour search
On Thursday, Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested a senior official after disproportionate assets of over Rs.100 crore were found during searches at his houses and offices.
Shiva Balakrishna, Secretary, of Telangana State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TSRERA) was arrested by the ACB in the morning, a day after searches were conducted at his premises and those of his relatives.
Sleuths of ACB on Wednesday conducted simultaneous raids at various places on the premises of Balakrishna, who had earlier worked as director of town planning at Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).
The searches by 14 teams of the anti-graft body at various places including his villa in Manikonda, continued till midnight.
The simultaneous raids were conducted at Balakrishna’s house, offices, premises of his relatives. The searches yielded recovery of assets, whose market value is estimated to be over Rs.100 crore.
About Rs.40 lakh cash, two-kilogram gold, documents of immovable assets like villas, flats, and lands, 60 expensive wristwatches, and about 40 iPhones and laptops have been seized.
The officials found bundles of currency notes of Rs.100, Rs.200, and Rs.500. Cash counting machines were used to count the same.
The official’s bank lockers will be opened on Thursday. The ACB has identified lockers in at least four banks.
He had allegedly amassed wealth while serving as planning director in HMDA and in-charge director in Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD). The continued searches are likely to unearth more assets.
The ACB took up the investigation and carried out searches following complaints that he allegedly committed irregularities in approving various works and that he possessed assets disproportionate to known sources of income.
He will be produced in the court later in the day.
[With Inputs from IANS]
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