Lokayukta raids govt employee's house in Bhopal, properties worth Rs 90 cr seized

Bhopal, Oct 17 (IANS) Following hours-long searches at retired junior auditor Ramesh Hingorani's residence in Bhopal, Lokayukta Police on Thursday revealed that they have recovered properties worth over Rs 90 crore.

Six teams of the Bhopal unit of Lokayukta’s Special Police Establishment searched multiple locations in the city, including two schools run by his family members and a marriage garden in the Gandhi Nagar area.

Hingorani's family operates at least three private schools, including two in Bhopal's Gandhi Nagar area. It has been alleged that Hingorani has invested in real estate business in Bhopal and other places in the state. His family has been accused of selling government properties (land) to other real estate developers.

During the searches that went on until Wednesday midnight, Lokayukta teams seized gold jewellery worth nearly Rs 70 lakh, and cash amount of Rs 12 lakh and four luxury cars. However, the process of final evaluation of overall recovery, including immovable properties was still underway on Thursday morning, said an official.

During the raid at Prerna School, which is run by Hingorani's son Nilesh Hingorani, police also confiscated an unlicensed pistol from his possession, following which, he has been booked under Arms Act, Sanjay Shukla, DSP Bhopal unit of Lokayukta, said.

Raids were conducted after a case was registered against Hingorani alleging that he had assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. He served in the technical education department secretariat in Satpura Bhawan.

Last year, MP Police demolished a marriage garden owned by Hingorani's family members in the Bairagarh area of Bhopal.