ACB chargesheets FCSCA official in disproportionate assets case
Srinagar: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday filed a chargesheet against a government official and his family members in a disproportionate assets case here, an official said.
The chargesheet against senior assistant, Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Pranav Gandotra, his wife Pooja Wattal and mother Shashi Gandotra was filed in the court of special judge anti-corruption Jammu, a spokesman of the ACB said.
He said the disproportionate assets case was registered in 2018 when Gandotra was posted as in-charge Tehsil supply officer, Rajouri.
The instant case of disproportionate assets registered against the accused Pranav Gandotra is the outcome of case FIR No.21/2018 already registered against the accused.
During of the said case, searches were conducted in the premises/residential houses of the accused and incriminating documents revealed that Gandotra has raised huge properties, both movable as well as immovable, worth crores of rupees in his own name and in name of his family members which are disproportionate to his known sources of income, ACB spokesperson said in a statement.
It said Gandotra also possesses luxurious house-hold items, costly electronics gadgets, etc. Some of the assets raised by him include a house (No. 60/3) at Channi Himmat worth in lakhs of rupees, two flats worth Rs 83 lakhs; a shop at Ashrabad Sidhra, Jammu, a restaurant in Palm Island Mall at Canal road Jammu, several costly vehicles including an Innova Crysta, two Toyota Fortuner SUVs, a Chevrolet Cruse, Mahindra XUV 500, Mercedes Benz and Hyundai Verna, besides gold/diamond ornaments weighing 4 Kg 361.49 gms and silver articles with utensils weighing 11 Kg and 389 gms and insurance policies worth more than Rs 41 lakhs.
Investigations revealed that the accused in consequence of his indulgence in corrupt and illegal practices and having taken advantages of his lucrative posting, has acquired huge assets, both moveable/immoveable by investing proceeds of his ill-gotten money in such properties and the value of the assets held by the accused in his name and in the name of family members is Rs 3,58,91,126, which is disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The allegations of raising disproportionate assets by the accused have been fully substantiated. After completing the investigation of case, sanction for launching of prosecution of the accused was also obtained from the competent authority following which the accused was chargesheeted, the ACB said.
