Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths have seized cash amounting to Rs 45 lakh allegedly amassed by a Mining Officer Kundan Kumar Banjare posted in Bilaspur, officials claimed here on Wednesday.
According to the Superintendent of Police (SP) ACB, Rajneesh Singh, on June 3, 2016, a team of ACB sleuths had carried out raids in the office, house and native place of the official; however, nothing significant was found during the raids.
“Taking it a challenge, the sleuths conducted a thorough investigation to find out the locations where Banjare could have stacked unaccounted cash,” he said.
According to Singh, it was known that Banjare had close ties with some businessmen whom he had trusted to keep the unacccounted cash with them.
Based on certain evidences, the ACB sleuths interrogated a contractor by the name of Nishant Jain in Bilaspur who was among the persons close to the Mining Officer.
During cross examination, Jain accepted that he had kept about Rs 75 lakh given by Banjare. He informed police that Banjare from time to time had taken Rs 5 lakh in name of purchasing land and an Innova MUV being used by Banjare was purchased from the same money, Singh said.
Banjare also used to get deposited Rs 35,000 every month in the account of his wife in name of salary from Brilliant Public School. The money was derived from Rs 75 lakh which was given to Jain, the SP said while adding that the record of transaction has been seized.
Police has also learnt that Banjare had purchased about 19 different plots in Naya Raipur in the name of his parents which are worth Rs 1 crore in value or more.