Raids were conducted in 11 places in A.P. and Hyderabad
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Additional Excise Commissioner Katam Lakshman Bhaskar in Hyderabad on Sunday and brought him to Visakhapatnam for further searches at his house located in the Balayya Sastry Layout.
The officer was arrested for amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The ACB team conducted raids in 11 places in Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad. The team was led by DSP (Visakha Urban) K. Ramakrishna Prasad and supported by the Central Investigation Unit of the ACB and it was conducted over two days from Saturday.
The raids came in the wake of increasing allegations against the officer. The ACB officials said Bhaskar was a native of Ramanapalem area in West Godavari and had worked in various wings in the department across the State. The raids were conducted in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Rajahmundry and at his hometown Ramanapalem.
Documents seized
Mr. Ramakrishna Prasad said on Saturday they had seized documents pertaining to four house sites in Telangana including one at Hayatnagar in Hyderabad (each measuring about 200 sq yards), besides 600 sq yards house site at Gambheeram, 200 sq yards site at MVP Colony, 175 sq yards site and a house at HB Colony and 325 sq yards site at Pendurthi area, all in Visakhapatnam city. The ACB officials also seized documents pertaining to 5 acres of agriculture land which was in his wife and aunt’s name at his home town in Ramanapalem and he also owned one flat each in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.
Huge haul
On Sunday, the ACB officials unearthed 15 kg of silver and 3 kg of gold from a house belonging to the officer in Hyderabad.
The excise officer was brought to Visakhapatnam on Sunday and the ACB officials seized documents pertaining to eight plots from the rented premises of Bhaskar in the Balayya Sastry layout. “All the documents were in benami names and they included five plots in Mahbubnagar in Telangana, one each at Kapulupada, Anandapuram and Sabbavaram in Visakhapatnam district.
According to the ACB, the value of the assets is over Rs. 3 crores, and the market value is expected to be over Rs. 30 crores.
Lakshman Bhaskar was arrested on Sunday and would be produced before the ACB Special Judge on Monday.
Second major case
This was the second major case wherein a senior government officer had been brought under the ACB net under disproportionate assets case, after RP Thakur took over as DG of the ACB, said a senior officer with ACB. The earlier one was Dr. Swarajyalakshmi, DMHO of Kurnool, against whom a case was registered on Thursday.
Katam Lakshman Bhaskar brought to Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad for
further searches