Anantapur: ACB cops unearth 'hidden treasure' from corrupt official's house

Anantapur: The city police team headed by Anti-Corruption Bureau DSP Veeraraghava Reddy stumbled upon a huge treasure trove of gold and silver ornaments and properties worth crores of rupees on the mid-night of Tuesday, from a corrupt treasury accountant Manoj Kumar.

The searches continued until morning of Wednesday. The accused were arrested and the treasure was confiscated by the police.

Acting on an anonymous complaint against the treasury senior accountant Manoj Kumar, the city police have launched a probe into the veracity of complaints against the treasury officials headed by a task force constituted with ACB DSP Veera Raghava Reddy, central crime station DSP Sreenivasuslu and Tadipatri DSP Sreenivasulu and unearthed trunk boxes full of gold and silver vessels and ornaments including 3 pistols of 9 mm category, an air gun with 18 blank rounds, 2.42 kgs of gold ornaments, 84.10 kgs of silver, Rs15.55 lakh worth of currency notes, Rs 49.10 lakh worth of fixed deposits and NSS Bonds, Rs 27.05 lakh worth promissory notes.

Besides 3 Royal Enfield bikes, 3 cars and 10 other motor cycles and scooters were confiscated from the accountant's house, his car driver Nagalinga and his uncle Balappa's house. The task force police after watching the movements of the accused had first arrested driver Nagalinga, who confessed to the police about the treasure hidden by the treasury office in his house and that of his uncle.

Police had dug into underground of accused houses and unearthed the massive treasure hidden in large trunk boxes. Police have not come to any conclusion on the nature of hidden treasure as the treasure resembled ancient gold and silver vessels and ornaments and also the trunk boxes which are of ancient outlook.

However, Manoj was said to be highly corrupt, according to police sources. He was handling retired employees' pensions and other service related files for which he was known to be demanding huge amounts as mamools.

He joined government service in 2006 on compassionate grounds after the death of his father, who died while in service as a police head constable. He was twice transferred from his treasury office in the town but using his clout in circles of power, he managed to get his transfer orders cancelled.

For 14 years he had been in the district treasury office as junior and presently senior accountant.