ED Keeps an Eye on Tainted Irrigation Officials Linked to Kaleshwaram
After ACB cases, ED tracks diverted govt funds, benami deals, and lavish spending by accused
Hyderabad: While the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is probing the alleged illegal assets cases registered against irrigation engineers of the Kameshwaram project, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials have kept a close vigil on the tainted officers and the properties they allegedly amassed by diverting government funds.
The ACB has registered three separate cases against senior irrigation officers — Nunne Sridhar, C. Muralidhar Rao (retired), and Hariram Naik — for allegedly amassing illegal assets by misusing their powers.
Sources said the ED is likely to initiate a probe into these allegations, suspecting that crores of rupees in government funds were diverted to personal accounts, family members, and benami entities. The ED has also sought details about the three accused officers from the government and the ACB.
Initial reports indicate that each of the three officers —Sridhar, Muralidhar Rao, and Hariram Naik — reportedly diverted huge sums of money, with each allegedly possessing assets worth over `100 crore based on seized immovable properties and alleged illegal business activities involving family members, friends, and benami names.
Suspecting large cash transactions, the ED officials are preparing to serve notices to the accused after collecting detailed information about them — including their dates of joining government service, the properties they and their family members owned at the time of joining, their sources of income apart from government salaries, their family members’ regular activities, and investments in businesses, especially real estate.
In the case of Sridhar, his son’s wedding was held in Thailand, with businessmen, contractors, and high-profile families from Telangana in attendance. Sridhar reportedly spent a large amount of money on the destination wedding, and the ED is likely to inquire into the matter under FEMA.
The ED will also verify the bank accounts of the three accused officers after gathering information from the ACB, which is currently investigating the illegal assets cases.
