VISAKHAPATNAM: Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted raids on a Mines and Geology department assistant director (AD) and unearthed huge cash and assets, disproportionate to his known sources of income. The ACB officials, led by DSP K Ramakrishna Prasad conducted the raids at the residence of Gondu Sivaji, the AD of Mines & Geology department, at MVP Colony here, and six other places. On Thursday, the sleuths conducted searches in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts simultaneously.

The searches started at 6 am at the house of Gondu Sivaji and the house of his brother in MVP Colony and Ring Road at Vizianagaram repectively, the AD’s house at his native village Bantupalli, in Denkada mandal of Vizianagaram district, the AD’s office at Anakapalle, and in his brother in-law’s house at Peddipalem in Bheemili mandal. At the time of raids, the AD was at his MVP Colony house. As per information received from the ACB, `10 lakh cash was recovered from AD’s house and `72.77 lakh cash was recovered from his two bank lockers, along with 1,798 grams of gold and 3.3 kg silver jewellery and documents/fixed deposits to the tune of `2.5 crore and other fixed assets, comprising a G+2 house under construction, plots and agriculture land deeds. According to sources, the AD is a native of Vizianagaram district and joined the department in 1993. He was elevated to the present position in 2004.

The sleuths identified that he had earned most of the assets in 2018 only. Interestingly, the ACB found huge volume of liquid cash, apart from fixed/ immovable assets, during the raids. They seized nearly `83 lakh cash from his two bank lockers and at his residence. Another interesting thing was that at the AD’s residence, the sleuths found `10 lakh cash in a water can! “This is a peculiar thing that we found `82.77 lakh in cash. So far, we have seized huge disproportionate assets in various cases and almost all assets in those cases were immovable/ fixed properties,” said an ACB official.