Gujarat: 'Cheque babu' K Rajesh's graft account sealed by CBI

AHMEDABAD: Almost a year after TOI exposed allegations of corruption against IAS officer K Rajesh, who was then the Surendranagar collector, CBI officers late on Thursday night conducted searches at the residence, offices, and other premises associated with him. He and an accomplice have been held by the CBI.
The CBI's move against Rajesh, a 2011-batch IAS officer, is in connection with allegations of financial irregularities in granting weapon licences and in sanctioning mining and sand quarry leases, the agency's officers said. Complainants have alleged that Rajesh blatantly demanded a part of the bribes through cheques issued for 'district collector fund' and Sujalam Sufalam account, a subterfuge to give the illusion of a government account.
Currently, Rajesh is the joint secretary of the general administration department (GAD) of the Gujarat government. Searches were conducted at his home and offices in Gandhinagar, Surat, and Surendranagar in Gujarat; and also in his native Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, said a CBI officer. The searches have led to the recovery of several incriminating documents and digital evidence, added the officer.
Sources in the CBI said that a Surat-based cloth merchant, Rafiq Memon, who acted as Rajesh's middleman to collect bribes, has been held as well. He was arrested and produced before the CBI court and and remanded to CBI custody for a day against the agency's demand for ten days.
"Rajesh used to tell people who approached him for firearms licences or for mining leases to pay the money for his expensive clothes to Memon," the CBI officer said.
'He used official sounding names to scam his victims'
The CBI has registered a case against the then collector of Surendranagar - Kankipati Rajesh - and others including a proprietor of Surat-based private firm and unknown persons and entities on the allegations of demand and receipt of illegal gratification or bribes related to grant of arms licences, allotment of government land and regularization of encroached government land in the name of ineligible beneficiaries," said an official statement of the CBI.
Sources said that so far documents of eight properties including houses and land worth an estimated market value of Rs 300 crore has been found from the lockers from Rajesh's premises.
CBI sources said that the preliminary inquiry was conducted on a request to probe graft charges against Rajesh made by the state government, which was approved by the top bosses in Delhi. Sources said that multiple applications have been filed against Rajesh with the Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
"A team of the CBI Delhi had earlier taken statements of about 18 persons from Surendranagar and Ahmedabad regarding the graft charges," the CBI officer said. "After which a case was filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Rajesh and Memon have also been charged with destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy."
CBI sources said that Rajesh extensively used the government's name to scam his victims. TOI had exclusively reported that he allegedly asked for a portion of bribes for issuing weapons licences through cheques for the 'district collector fund'. This ploy was flagged in the preliminary inquiry conducted by former additional chief secretary P K Taneja. The probe had been ordered by the state government. CBI officials said that Rajesh also floated an agency named 'Sujalam Sufalam', mimicking the state government's irrigation project. His aides used that ruse to take money by cheques or through instant transfers, the CBI officer said. People paid up believing that they were contributing to government funds.
TOI had in early 2021 filed multiple reports of alleged corruption involving Rajesh. This included a report on January 25, 2021, on the complaint filed by an Ahmedabad-based businessman with the ACB. The complainant said that Rajesh, as the Surendranagar collector, was demanding Rs 5 lakh in bribe for issuing a weapon licence. A part of the money was to be deposited by a cheque payable to the 'district collector fund'. In February 2021, two more complaints spoke of a bribe of Rs 32 lakh demanded by Rajesh for a mining licence. In March 2021, another complaint was filed stating that though Rs 5 lakh bribe and three litres of massage oil had been given, the promised gun licence had not been issued.
After the corruption charges were levelled against him, Rajesh was appointed as the joint secretary, law and order, in the state home department on June 23, 2021. But he was shunted to the GAD on June 30, 2021.