The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken decisive action in a high-profile corruption case involving former RTO constable Saurabh Sharma, following the Lokayukta Police’s failure to submit a chargesheet within the stipulated timeframe. The ED submitted a detailed challan in court on Tuesday, naming 12 accused and confirming the recovery of 52 kilograms of gold and Rs 11 crore in cash—originally found in an Innova car in Mandori—as belonging to Sharma.
The ED’s intervention comes after the Lokayukta Police, who had initiated the probe by raiding Sharma’s residence and office on December 19 last year, failed to file a chargesheet against the main accused—Saurabh Sharma, Sharad Jaiswal, and Chetan Singh Gaur—within 60 days. This procedural lapse led to the trio being granted bail, drawing public and legal criticism.
Following the ED’s takeover of the investigation, all three accused were arrested from Bhopal Central Jail, where they were in judicial custody, and were subsequently remanded to ED custody for seven days. During questioning, the ED unearthed a sprawling financial web involving Sharma and his associates, resulting in the seizure of properties and assets worth Rs 100.36 crore.
According to the ED, Saurabh Sharma amassed massive wealth far beyond his known sources of income, using a network of associates and shell companies to funnel and launder money. Provisional attachment of assets worth Rs 92.07 crore was carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. These assets, both movable and immovable, were held in the names of family members, close aides, and companies allegedly controlled by the accused.
The investigation also uncovered how Sharma used unsecured loans from unidentified sources to convert black money into white, investing heavily in real estate and benami assets. Key companies involved in the laundering process include M/s Aviral Building Construction Private Limited, M/s Aviral Enterprises Private Limited, and M/s UR Infrastructure Private Limited.
The ED’s probe, initiated on the basis of an FIR filed by Lokayukta Police under Sections 13(1)(B) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, has led to multiple seizures: Rs 2.50 crore in cash, silver worth Rs 14.20 lakh, assets worth Rs 9.17 lakh, and frozen bank balances totaling Rs 8.29 crore.
The income tax department also played a crucial role in the case, seizing Rs 11 crore in cash and 52 kg of gold on the night of December 19 from the car of Chetan Singh Gaur—assets later confirmed to be linked to Sharma.
Subsequent ED raids on December 27 at properties connected to Sharma, Jaiswal, Gaur, and another associate, Rohit Tiwari, revealed further undisclosed assets, including a bank balance of Rs 4 crore in accounts of Sharma’s relatives and associates and Rs 23 crore worth of real estate currently under scrutiny.
Despite Saurabh Sharma’s mother attending court proceedings, she has not been taken into custody. The ED has also petitioned the court to confiscate unclaimed assets uncovered during its ongoing investigation.
Over a span of nine days, the coordinated efforts of the ED, Lokayukta, and Income Tax Department have unearthed one of the biggest disproportionate asset cases in the state, highlighting deep-rooted corruption and the initial lapses in enforcement that allowed the accused temporary reprieve.
