Officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted raids on the houses and properties of M. Nageswara Rao, Assistant Engineer at APEPDCL’s Kommadi sub-station, for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, here on Thursday.
On the first day of the searches, teams reportedly unearthed illegal assets with a book value of ₹3.88 crore, the market value of which is estimated to be around ₹20 crore, ACB officials said.
A team led by Additional SP (ACB) Shakeela Banu and DSP ACB (Visakhapatnam Urban) Ranga Raju conducted searches simultaneously at 12 various locations such as Seethammadhara, Seethampeta, Visalakshi Nagar, MVP Colony and Rambilli, as well as at the residences of his relatives, in Visakhapatnam district since Thursday morning.
ACB officials said that the raids were conducted based on credible information, adding that they have registered an FIR and started conducting searches.
According to a release from ACB officials of Visakhapatnam Range, during the course of searches, the unearthed assets include two houses, two flats, two vehicles and FDRs, all worth around ₹3.88 crore, including FDRs worth ₹1.11 crore.
“The ACB teams have also come to know about the whereabouts of three bank lockers pertaining to the tainted officer. They are likely to be opened on Friday. Searches will continue,” Ms. Banu said.
Shady past
Mr. Nageswara Rao joined the Electricity Department on July 29, 1991 and underwent training as Lineman in Visakhapatnam. On October 27, 1992, he was promoted as Sub-Engineer. He was earlier arrested by the ACB for accepting a bribe from a complainant in Visakhapatnam Range and was convicted.
On November 28, 2003, he was dismissed from service. Later, he was reinstated on August 12, 2013 as Sub-Engineer. On June 26, 2014, he was promoted as AEE. Presently, he is working as Assistant Engineer at APEPDCL, Kommadi sub-station, Madhurawada.
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