JOIN USAnti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials have intensified the probe against two government servants who were raided last week and illegal assets seized from them. The ACB officials are contemplating referring the seizure of foreign currency at the house of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) engineer N G Gowdaiah to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). T R Swamy, Chief Development Officer at Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), who is the other accused who was raided, has been hospitalised for a heart ailment.
ACB officials had found $4,000 during the searches at Gowdaiah’s house in Basaveshwaranagar last Friday. A senior official said that according to rules, foreign currency will have to be surrendered after the foreign trip within a stipulated time. “However, citizens can hold up to $2,000 for future use. In this case, we found $4,000. We are still contemplating handing over the matter along with the FIR to ED and the Income Tax department after taking the statement from the accused,’’ the official said.
Meanwhile, Gowdaiah appeared before the ACB officials on Tuesday for questioning. The police questioned him on the assets recovered from his house and from the premises belonging to his relatives. Sources said Gowdaiah was irritated on seeing the battery of media vehicles outside the ACB office. He accused ACB officials of passing on information about his visit to the ACB office.
On the other hand, ACB officials searched the lockers belonging to Gowdaiah in various banks. However, it was found that the official had not been using the lockers for some time. However, a team of ACB officials that searched his office in the BDA found more property documents. These include three acres of land near Devanahalli in the name of Gowdaiah’s mother, investment of up to Rs 60 lakh in a co-operative bank and two more flats, one in the name of his son and another in the name of his brother.
Swamy hospitalised
In response to the notice issued by the ACB to appear before the investigating officer, KIADB officer T R Swamy’s son appeared. He submitted a request letter stating that his father could not appear as he is hospitalised.
“We have written to the government recommending disciplinary action against both the officials. When a person is found with assets disproportionate to their known sources of income and if this is proven, such officials should be suspended,’’ the official said.