ED May Take Up Irrigation Officer’s Illegal Assets Cases
According to sources, ED officials are focusing on cases currently being probed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Hyderabad: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials are likely to register cases — Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in official parlance — against tainted irrigation officers accused of amassing illegal assets. The ACB conducted raids on three senior irrigation officers and found alleged assets worth crores of rupees in the possession of each accused officer.
According to sources, ED officials are focusing on cases currently being probed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Three major cases involve Nune Sridhar, Hariram Naik, and retired officer Muralidhar Rao. In the latest case involving Muralidhar Rao, the ACB suspects that the retired officer amassed illegal assets worth more than Rs.500 crore.
Suspecting money laundering of the funds, the ED is expected to take up these cases, register them under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and investigate further. In the Nune Sridhar case, the accused officer reportedly spent crores of rupees on his son’s destination wedding held abroad.
Similarly, ACB officials on Wednesday suspected that retired irrigation officer Muralidhar Rao diverted the tainted money in the form of cash transactions to fund his son Abhishek Rao’s business activities. The ACB officials verified the bank lockers of Muralidhar Rao and reportedly found gold and important documents.
ACB officers are likely to file a petition before the court seeking police custody of the accused officer for questioning. The agency intends to collect details of his son’s business activities and sources of income, including information on business establishment, investments, purchases, and product sales. It is reported that Muralidhar Rao’s son has entered into real estate and other businesses.
Agency officials have also obtained call data records of Muralidhar Rao for investigation, including call logs, WhatsApp data, and other digital communications. The ACB also found that accused officers Nune Sridhar and Muralidhar Rao purchased properties in the same location.
