Telangana official sent to judicial custody in Disproportionate Assets case

Hyderabad, May 20 An ACB court on Wednesday sent a top official of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board to judicial custody for 14 days in a Disproportionate Assets case.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which registered a case against S.A. Laxmi Kumar and arrested him on Tuesday, produced him before the court.

After the court remanded him to judicial custody, he was shifted to Chanchalguda Central Prison.

Laxmi Kumar, General Manager (Engg.), Project Division-VIII, Red Hills, HMWS&SB, was booked after assets of over Rs.5.88 crore were found during searches at premises linked to him.

According to the ACB, he acquired assets disproportionate to his known sources of income by indulging in corrupt practices and dubious means during his service.

As this is an offence punishable under Section 13 (1) (b) and 12 922) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), searches were conducted on May 1 at his residence and eight other places belonging to his relatives, friends, benamis and other associates, the ACB said in a release.

The anti-graft agency stated that during the searches, documents relating to 18 acres agricultural land in Nizamabad and Sangareddy, six open plots, three flats and one house in Hyderabad were found.

Further during the searches, net cash of Rs.1.10 crore, gold ornaments weighing 2.1 kg and silver articles weighing 9.2 kg were also found in the accused officer’s house, the ACB said. Further, one Maruti Ritz car, one Bajaj motor bike, all assets worth Rs. 5,88,55,490 were found.

“The market value of movable and immovable property may be many times higher than the document value,” said the release.

Further verification of additional assets is underway. The case is under investigation, it added.

ACB officials conducted simultaneous searches at eight locations since early morning.

One of the teams conducted searches at his residence at Mallapur. The officials were seen counting cash and sealing gold ornaments, silver items and other valuables. They were also checking documents relating to properties at various places in Hyderabad and other districts.

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