DVAC raid discovers ₹1crore cash, 1kg gold at official’s residence

DVAC raid discovers ₹1crore cash, 1kg gold at official’s residence

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  15.12.2020 

Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) officials on Monday raided the office and residence of an office superintendent in the state department of environment and discovered more than ₹1 crore in cash and 1 kg of gold.

The counting of cash at the official’s Saligramam residence was still on at the time of going to press, officials said. Earlier in the day, the agency found ₹88,500 in unaccounted money from the office superintendent’s office at Saidapet’s Panagal Maligai where all senior environment department officials sit.

A DVAC official said the superintendent is only a member of the clerical staff, but influential. “Top Indian Forest Service (IFS) officials were also wary of him. He would threaten to transfer other officials if they did not listen to him,” he said.

The superintendent dealt with files pertaining to environmental clearances given to builders and industries. “This makes him a very important person as any proposal or clearance could be rejected if he was not taken care of,” the official said.

From the cash seized at his office and residence, DVAC officials are clear that most of the transactions were done through cash. “We are also probing if he is a conduit for other officials,” said another official. Based on the documents and other evidence seized at his residence, DVAC will register a disproportionate assets case against him, the official added.

The raid at the residence of the environment department official at Saligramam was on at the time of going to press