Bounty hunters seize treasures

Patna, Oct. 15: Sleuths of Bihar’s vigilance department conducted yet another raid on a high-profile government official.

In today’s raid the special vigilance wing recovered Rs 7 lakh cash, investment papers worth Rs 8 lakh and property papers of four flats and a shop during simultaneous raids at five places, all linked to Bihar drug controller Y.K. Jaiswal.

The raids were located both in Patna and Varanasi.

SVW inspector-general A.K. Upadhyay said: “Though we are yet to assess the full value of Jaiswal’s property, we have also seized papers for property at Digha and Sandalpur in Patna. The drug controller also owns a house at Shivpuri and a shop at Harinivas complex.”

The raids also revealed a fixed deposit of Rs 22 lakh and LIC investments worth Rs 25 lakh in the names of his wife and son. Then, Jaiswal has a house (of over 3,000 sqft) at Varanasi.

The SVW has lodged a disproportionate asset (DA) case against him.

Upadhyay added that the raids revealed that the drug controller has five bank lockers, too, three at Patna and two at Hajipur.

“As raids continue, the final assessment of Jaiswal’s property would be done by tomoorow,” said the IG.

The raids started at 7.30am and continued till late evening and were conducted under operation Clean (corruption-linked efforts for affirmative action). The special teams have conducted successful raids at premises of top officials over the past one year.

In February, the SVW team had raided premises of former Bihar director general of police Narain Mishra and recovered cash and property property to the tune of several lakhs.

The team earlier conducted raids at the residences of former Bihar director general of police Narayan Mishra this Fenruary.

The team also recovered Rs 1.90 lakh in cash, allegedly bribe money, from then Madhepura district magistrate Hemchandra Mishra.

The vigilance wing had also registered a DA case against senior IAS officer and former State water resource department secretary S S Verma for allegedly possessing property disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Trader looted

A Hajipur provision shop owner, Ashutosh Gupta (38), was looted of Rs 9 lakh and shot dead this afternoon.

The incident took place around 12.30pm at Ekra while Gupta was on his eay to the bank to deposit the cash. As he was approaching the bank, two motor-cycle borne youths intercepted him and shot him from close range.

A case has been registered, however, no arrests have been made so far.