Telangana ACB asset investigations

The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has conducted multiple investigations into officials suspected of possessing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

In late August, the ACB registered a case against Bojja Jaya Raju, an Assistant Director in the Mines and Geology Department. Searches at eight locations linked to Raju and his associates identified assets totaling approximately Rs 3.06 crore, including real estate, vehicles, gold, and cash. The investigation highlighted suspicious transfers from the officer’s driver to his daughter, allegedly involving funds from sand transportation activities.

In September, the ACB expanded its operations to include Dr. Nori Lakshmi Bhaskar, the Additional Medical Superintendent of NIMS. Authorities conducted simultaneous searches at 13 locations across three districts to examine financial records and property documents as part of a similar disproportionate assets probe.

By late September, the investigation into Dr. Bhaskar progressed with searches at the residences of five NIMS employees. During these searches, officials recovered ₹7 lakh in cash from the home of a hospital barber named Dhanraj. Investigators suspect certain employees were acting as ‘benamis’—individuals holding assets on behalf of another—for Dr. Bhaskar. While previously identified assets had a documented value of approximately ₹6.13 crore, the estimated market value of the properties is around ₹100 crore. Seized items include luxury cars, 517.8 grams of gold, multiple flats in gated communities, and various open plots. The ACB is currently tracing money trails and examining land documents to determine the full extent of the alleged corruption.