Raids on KAS officer yield properties worth Rs 250 crore

Bengaluru: Karnataka Anti-Corruption Bureau police took almost three days to complete the raid process on Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer B. Sudha and recovered property papers worth a whopping Rs 250 crore from her and her relatives in the state.

Apart from this, the ACB recovered Rs 36 lakh cash, Rs 3.5 crore worth bank deposits and gold jewellery weighing 3.5 kg and silver articles weighing 10 kg from six locations.

Speaking to IANS, a senior officer who was part of the raid team said that this is the biggest haul of property papers he has seen in his life. "Nearly 250 land purchase deeds are found. We are yet to ascertain their exact market value. But it is safe to state that it is not less than Rs 250 crore," he said.

Sudha's house on Thindlu Main Road near Kodigehalli commenced on Saturday morning and the officials came out with bags full of gold jewellery, Rs 10 lakh cash and documents pertaining to real estate properties.

Sudha, who was the land acquisition officer at Bangalore Development Authority, had acquired more assets than her salary could justify.

Raids were carried out at various properties belonging to her relatives in Mysuru and Udupi districts. The raids were conducted on her residence named Aaradhana in Thindlu, a flat belonging to her in Shivanahalli at Yelahanka, her current office in Shanthi Nagar and her friends' residences on Ballari Road, BEML Layout in Mysuru and a residence in Udupi.

A special team that included women officials searched her properties and office. ACB stated that a case of disproportionate assets and irregularity had been filed against Sudha, who is now an administrative officer at the IT-BT department, in June 2020.

The raid went on for more than five hours. Sudha came under the scanner after a public complaint was filed before a court by RTI activist T. J. Abraham, president of the Anti-Corruption and Environmental Forum.

He had been alleging that Sudha was involved in corruption over the last few years. The ACB acted after the court issued an order to conduct the raids, an ACB press release stated.

"I had complained to ACB in June 2019 and January 2020. But they did not take it seriously. I then decided to approach the court and filed a petition in June this year. The court issued the order after verifying the documents," Abraham told on the day of ACB conducted raids on her house.