The Madhya Pradesh lokayukta's Special Police Establishment on Tuesday conducted raids at the premises of the Joint Director of Industries Department, RC Kuril, in Bhopal and Jabalpur and unearthed disproportionate assets worth crores of rupees.
The investigation conducted so far suggested that this State Administrative Services (SAS) officer, who has 32 years of service, is in possession of properties that are around 20 times more than his known sources of income.
lokayukta sources said that incriminating documents relating to investments in property were seized during initial stages of the raid at Kuril's residences. The raid was expected to continue. Kuril is posted in Bhopal.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Anti-Corruption Team (lokayukta), Vinod Sharma, told media persons that Kuril owns a farmhouse in Bhopal and two farmhouses in Jabalpur. "We have also discovered that he owns agricultural land as well, despite the fact that he does not belong to a very well-off family. All this is acquired wealth, and the most important thing is that the authorities were not informed of these assets in his possession, despite mandatory laws of any such information to be annually passed on to the concerned authority," he said.
Sharma also stated that Kuril owns seven houses, three of which are in Jabalpur and four are in Bhopal. Kuril's bank lockers will also be opened soon.
The raid was conducted following a complaint that had been registered against Kuril for having acquired disproportionate assets. To media, Kuril maintained he would soon prove his innocence. "The inquiry is going on. I have handed them whatever documents I had, and in the coming days, I will prove that whatever I own is legitimate," he said.
The investigation revealed that most of the properties found so far were purchased in the name of his wife Shashi and son Abhishek. After the raid process completed till afternoon, the lokayukta officials sealed Kuril's office situated in Vindhyachal Bhawan.
Sources said that the lokayukta team could find the property details in Bhopal and Jabalpur only, but he also owns properties in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, in the name of his relatives. Sources further claimed that Kuril was fond of traveling to Canada and he has toured this foreign country five times from 2001 to 2006. In Canada, he stayed from 15 days to six months.
The anti-corruption officials, in the last few months, have carried out raids at the residences of various officials, including Inspector General of Police (IG) Mayank Jain, on May 15 who has been accused of amassing illicit wealth.