SVU unearthed over 5 crore DA against sub-registrar
Separate team of special vigilance unit (SVU) on Friday conducted raid at the office and residences of a sub-registrar, Mani Ranjan, in connection with a disproportionate asset (DA) worth over ₹5 crore amassing through corruption.
PATNA: Separate team of special vigilance unit (SVU) on Friday conducted raid at the office and residences of a sub-registrar, Mani Ranjan, in connection with a disproportionate asset (DA) worth over ₹5 crore amassing through corruption.
SVU sources said on Friday the raid was conducted after lodging an FIR under Section 13(B), R/W 13(13)(D), R/W Section 12 and Section 120B of IPC of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 against him with the vigilance police station in Patna and a search warrant procured from the vigilance court.
The SVU sleuths so far unearthed disproportionate assets worth crores of rupees including ₹60 lakh cash, a flat document worth ₹32 lakh, a plot on the name of his wife Sunita worth ₹5 lakh, 2.5 kattha lands worth ₹1.5 crore and a flat on the name of his father-in-law.
The raids were conducted at flat number 304 of Patligram Apartment in Agamkuan (Patna), Tulsi Kunj under Town police station of Samastipur and Usha Niketan in Muzaffarpur. SVU found that the sub-registrar filing ₹2 lakh Income Tax Return on the name of his driver.
“We had been getting several anonymous petitions that the sub-registrar’s office in Samastipur collecting bribes from those coming to register land. During the probe malpractice was found at the sub-registrar office”, said an investigation officer who is part of the raiding team.
Additional director general of SVU, N H Khan said, “A DA case was lodged with the SVU police station on December 16. Mani Ranjan had joined the service in 2010. The sleuths seized ₹60 cash from his three locations.”
We have unearthed a lavish hotel in which 21 rooms constructed since 2019 at Brahmpura in Muzaffarpur, a shop worth ₹22 lakh in Paras Mall, several passbooks of SBI, ICICI, Indus Babk, Central bank, Standard Chartered Bank and four expensive luxury SUVs. He has also invested in fixed deposits, LIC, real estate business and jewelleries.
The ADG told HT that during the tenure in Katihar between 2018 and 2021, the sub-registrar amassed three plots, three shops and many lands on the state highways and national highways. He also run more than six shell companies on the paper for money laundering activities.
According to SVC sources, a maximum one-third of the salary of a government employee is taken as savings. Ranjan had disclosed assets worth in lakh but the SVU sleuths unearthed property worth around ₹1.62 crore as a primary stage when FIR lodged.
“Investigation is on to ascertain the exact value of his assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. It may run into 20 crores of rupees,” said Khan adding that we are collecting the details of the seized valuables from the special teams that carried out the task assigned to them.