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Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta police detained a former constable of state Transport Department in connection with a corruption case on Tuesday, an official said.
The Lokayukta police registered a case against Saurabh Sharma under sections 13(1)B and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. "Saurabh Sharma is an accused in a case registered by Lokayukta police under the Prevention of Corruption Act and a raid was also conducted at his residence by the Lokayukta police on December 19, 2024. We received information about him to be in Bhopal, following which we have detained him and an inquiry is going on. Upon arresting the accused, we will present him before the court," Lokayukta DG Jaideep Prasad told ANI. Meanwhile, when asked about Sharma's lawyer claiming he was about to surrender in the court but the Lokayukta police took him in custody before he arrived in the court, the Lokayukta DG refused to give a reply on the matter, saying, "I have nothing to say about it." On being asked about interrogating Sharma's wife, the officer further said that those who were involved in the case would be interrogated, adding that other associates of Sharma would also be taken into custody soon. Earlier on December 23, 2024, Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta issued summons to Saurabh Sharma, along with his wife, mother, and associates Sharad Jaiswal and Chetan Singh Gaur, for questioning in connection with a corruption case. Following a complaint, the Lokayukta also conducted search operations on December 19 and 20, uncovering assets suspected to be disproportionate to Saurabh Sharma's known sources of income. Assets worth several crores were recovered from two residences linked to the accused, located at E-7/78 and E-7/657 in Arera Colony, Bhopal. At the E-7/78 residence, authorities seized vehicles, household items, jewellery, and cash amounting to approximately Rs 3.86 crore. From the shared office at E-7/657, which is jointly held with Chetan Singh Gaur, additional assets, including silver and cash, were valued at Rs 4.12 crore. The total value of assets recovered from both locations is estimated to be around Rs 7.98 crore. In a related development, Bhopal police and Income Tax (IT) officials recovered 52 kg of gold worth over Rs 40 crore and Rs 9.86 crore in cash from an abandoned car. The car, bearing a number plate registered as MP 07 (Gwalior RTO) under the name of Chetan Singh Gaur, was discovered late at night on December 19 near Mendori-Kushalpur Road under Ratibad police station limits. Upon receiving information, officials seized the car and its contents. (ANI)
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