Akola officer caught taking Rs 10,000 bribe, Rs 2.94 crore assets unearthed
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
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. Read Full Story 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.
The BriefWire