The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recovered 8 kg of gold valued at Rs. 4.84 crore from two lockers of Rajasthan Government official OP Vishwakarma in the Jal Jeevan Mission scam, news agency ANI reported on Wednesday. The probe agency also recovered 1.5 kg of gold valued at Rs 1.02 crore from the locker of Rajasthan Administrative Services official Amitabh Kaushik.
On September 1, the ED seized lockers from separate branches of Punjab National Bank in Jaipur. On the same day, the probe agency carried out searches in Jaipur, Alwar, Neemrana, Behror, and Shahpura and seized unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 2.32 crore, a 1 kg gold bar worth Rs 64 lakh, and various incriminating documents, including digital evidence, hard disks, and mobile devices.
Earlier this month, the agency carried out search operations at various locations across Rajasthan in connection to a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Centre's Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, officials said on Monday.
ED sleuths carried out searches in cities like Jaipur, Alwar, Neemrana, Behror, and Shahpura, and seized unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 2.32 Crore, a 1 Kg gold bar worth Rs 64 lakh, and various incriminating documents, including digital evidence, hard disks, and mobile devices, officials said. According to an official statement, the investigation was initiated by the probe agency based on an FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Rajasthan.
The case involved individuals Padamchand Jain (Proprietor: M/s. Shree Shyam Tubewell Company), Mahesh Mittal (Proprietor M/s Shree Ganpati Tubewell Company), and others. They were suspected of offering bribes to public servants to gain illegal protection, secure tenders, obtain bill approvals, and cover up irregularities related to work executed in various tenders issued by the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED).
During the search operations, the ED seized unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 2.32 Crore, a 1 Kg gold bar worth Rs 64 lakh, and various incriminating documents, including digital evidence, hard disks, and mobile devices, as per ANI. These findings suggest extensive transactions carried out by the suspects in collusion with PHED officials.