ACB books engineer from Mumbai civic body found to own bungalows, apartments

Anil Chandravadan Mistry allegedly amassed wealth worth Rs7.72 crore, which is 1,307% more than his known source of income

The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has registered a case against an assistant engineer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for amassing wealth which includes plush bungalows and flats at premier locations in the city and state.

ACB probed Anil Mistry after receiving a complaint against him. (FOR REPRESENTATION)

A case was registered against Anil Chandravadan Mistry, 51, his wife Akruti, 43, and Anil’s late mother, Indumati Chandravadan Mistry. “The government employee and his family owns bungalows and flats in Madh, Lonavla, Pune, Lokhandawala and Aaram Nagar in Versova,” said an ACB officer. “He has made many foreign trips to Bangkok and Pattaya. We had received a complaint about him amassing wealth following which an enquiry was conducted.”

ACB investigations revealed that Anil Mistry, from March 23, 1990 to June 19, 2017 amassed disproportionate assets worth Rs7.72 crore, which is 1,307.18 % more than his known and legal source of income.

Similarly, Akruti has amassed assets worth Rs38.26 lakh while later Indumati was found to own assets worth Rs5.26 crore. “Akruti and Indumati having the knowledge and consequences of the amassed property had encouraged the accused,” said the ACB officer.

ACB sources stated that Anil and Akruti currently have a marital dispute. “Akruti has, however, supported him before the marital dispute,” said the officer.

While no arrests have been made in the case, ACB stated they will put forth a demand before the government to seize Anil Mistry’s assets. The accused have been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.

ACB registers disproportionate assets cases based on either complaints or after setting traps. After trapping an official, ACB officials start examining financial and property-related details of the accused. If the amount exceeds the known sources of income, a fresh case is registered. Subsequently, if any family member is found to be a beneficiary, they too are booked. “In Mistry’s case, he was not caught in any trap but we had received a complaint,” said the officer.

The recently released National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data put Maharashtra on top of the list of corruption cases (1,016) in 2016. The state is followed by Odisha (569), Kerala (430), Madhya Pradesh (402) and Rajasthan (387). Maharashtra was also the highest in corruption cases in 2014 (1,316 cases) and 2015 (1,279 cases).