Most of the disproportionate assets seized from government officials during raids are found to be in the names of their better halves.

Economic Offences Unit (EOU) sleuths found disproportionate assets worth a staggering Rs 20.53 crore on raiding the office and residence of two government officials.

At the raid on Shivnandan Sah, assistant engineer with building construction department in Muzaffarpur Circle, EOU officers found immovable property, mostly land and houses in Muzaffarpur and Nalanda, worth Rs 76.24 lakh. Six of the 12 plots were in his wife Meena Singh’s name.

Earlier, on July 9, EOU had raided the house of deputy director of secondary education Radha Krishna Singh Yadav and stumbled upon a staggering 230 gold earrings, 53 finger rings and 36 bangles. Sources said Yadav used to gift his wife gold everytime he took a bribe.

“Raids were conducted at the house of Sah’s father-in-law at Dangi village in Nalanda and his parental home at Junaidi village in the same district. Another house of his in Pathan Toli area of Muzaffarpur and his Muzaffarpur-based office were also raided. The EOU also raided the office and house of additional district magistrate Jayshree Thakur, posted in Bhagalpur district. Movable and immovable and disproportionate assets worth over Rs 20 crore were recovered from the duo. Search and investigations are still on,” ADG (headquarters) Ravinder Kumar said.

EOU sources said Sah’s two-storied house in Pathan Toli was worth Rs 40 lakh. In addition, six plots are in the name of his wife, three in the name of his father-in-law and two in the name of an agent.

As far as movable property is concerned, Rs 39.73 lakh was recovered from his different bank accounts and Rs 2 lakh in cash. He also has two SUVs worth Rs 7 lakh each in the name of his wife and a nephew. Another Rs 2 lakh was recovered from his wife’s bank accounts. The man has also invested in shares, bonds and insurances in the name of his wife and children. He had jewellery worth Rs 1.18 lakh. The total worth of his movable assets rests at Rs 75.27 lakhs, EOU sources said.

But there is more. “A locker in the name of Sah will be opened and probed,” ADG Ravinder Kumar said.

The EOU also raided the office and houses of Jayshree Thakur in Bhagalpur, Patna, Banka and Godda (Jharkhand). The lady was more prosperous than Sah with immovable assets worth Rs 2.44 crore. “The immovable assets are in the form of flats and plots worth Rs 2.44 crore. Two plots, over 22 acres in size, are worth over Rs 1.74 crore. There are three flats in her name and Rs 1.25 lakh in cash. She also had eight bank accounts, three in Bank of Baroda’s Bhagalpur branch, with a total sum of Rs 7.86 crore. Ornaments worth Rs 48.20 lakh and investments in PPF, NSC, ULIP were found.

Three cars, including two SUVs, were recovered. The total worth of her disproportionate movable assets rests at Rs 16.58 crore and over Rs 19 crore in the form of movable and immovable assets was recovered from her apart from at least 25 acres of land, three bank lockers and many more bank accounts. “These are presently being checked by EOU officers,” Ravinder Kumar said.