Retired excise officer, kin found in possession of Rs 18.59 crore assets in MP; Rs 1 cr seized

Indore, Oct 15 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh's Lokayukta police raided the premises of a retired excise officer in two cities on Wednesday and unearthed movable and immovable assets worth Rs 18.59 crore, including Rs 1.13 crore in cash, belonging to him and his family, an official said.

Lokayukta Police Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Sunil Talan said based on a complaint of disproportionate assets, raids were conducted at a property in Gwalior and seven other locations in Indore belonging to retired District Excise Officer Dharmendra Singh Bhadoria.

The raids revealed movable and immovable assets worth 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.

The DSP said Bhadoria retired as the District Excise Officer of Alirajpur on August 31.

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

Expensive vehicles, furniture, sarees, watches, perfumes, and furniture were also recovered during the raids, he informed.

Talan said the Lokayukta police have received information about Bhadoria's family's investments in films.

The DSP said a case has been registered against the retired officer under the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2018, and a detailed investigation was underway. PTI HWP MAS NP RSY