Indore, June 17: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Madhya Pradesh Police on Tuesday launched raids at multiple locations linked to a senior official of the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), following allegations of amassing disproportionate assets.

Acting on a complaint, an EOW team from the Indore division arrived at the IMC’s Horticulture Department and conducted a thorough search of Assistant Superintendent Chetan Patil’s office. The search operation lasted for over an hour, after which the office was sealed.

Simultaneously, another EOW team, accompanied by police personnel, reached Patil’s residence in the city’s upscale Gulmohar area and began a detailed search operation. The raid at his residence was still ongoing at the time of filing this report.

According to official sources, the action was initiated following credible inputs that Patil had amassed wealth exceeding his known sources of income. Preliminary findings suggest he had acquired multiple properties in his and his family members’ names, not only in Indore but also in other districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Sources familiar with the investigation told media that Patil, who has been serving in the Horticulture Department of IMC for several years, had faced internal allegations in the past involving financial irregularities, including suspected siphoning of public funds.

During the raids, EOW officials seized several incriminating documents, including property papers, bank account details, and digital devices such as laptops. Jewellery, a significant amount of cash, and other valuables were also recovered. An evaluation of the seized assets, bank lockers, and financial records is currently underway.

This is the second such action against an IMC official in recent months. In March, the EOW had raided properties linked to Rajesh Parmar, a suspended Assistant Revenue Officer of the corporation, in connection with similar charges of disproportionate assets.

Bhubaneswar, June 14: An official of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in Odisha was arrested by the CBI for taking a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a chartered accountant for approving applications about two companies, an official said on Saturday.

Anil Rath, Senior Social Security Assistant (SSSA), EPFO Regional Office, Berhampur, District Ganjam, was allegedly harassing the complainant by delaying the approval, the official said.

A case was registered by the CBI on June 12 against Rath on the basis of a complaint filed by Suraj Kumar Dash.

He was booked for the offence of demanding undue advantage/bribe by a public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Rath allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant to approve the Authorised Signatory Application of two employers — Jai Jagannath Infratech and Uttam Padhi, on the EPFO Portal.

Dash said the application was repeatedly rejected by Rath between March and May on the grounds of incomplete documentation.

“I visited the EPFO (Regional Office, Berhampur) again on June 11 to find out the reason why the application is under process. Where PRO Anil Rath demanded Rs 10,000 (for two employers at the rate of Rs 5,000 per company) to approve the Authorised Signatory Application,” said Dash in his complaint.

After negotiation, the accused agreed to accept a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant, the CBI said.

On receiving a complaint from Dash, CBI, ACB, Bhubaneswar verified it on June 12.

The verification report which confirmed the demand of bribe said, “The complaint and its subsequent verification report, prima facie, disclose commission of cognizable offence punishable under section 61(2) of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita read with section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), on the part of Anil Rath.”

The report also raised suspicion about the involvement of other officials in the alleged demand of a bribe.

“During verification of the complaint, Anil Rath is talking about some other officer of EPFO by addressing him as ‘Sir’. As the identity of that person has not been established during the verification, hence, his role will be looked into during the investigation,” said the report.

Patna, June 14: In a breakthrough, Patna Police on Saturday morning arrested notorious criminal Angesh Kumar following an encounter in the Khusrupur area on the outskirts of the city.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police Avakash Kumar, the arrest was the result of a well-planned operation based on specific intelligence. Angesh, wanted in over 18 criminal cases including attempt to murder, dacoity, arms possession, and loot, had been hiding in a village under the jurisdiction of Khusrupur police station.

“Acting on a tip-off, a special team led by the Khusrupur SHO raided the location early morning. While in custody, the accused tried to escape by attacking the police and opened fire using a concealed weapon. Our team retaliated swiftly and overpowered him,” SSP Kumar said.

During the exchange, Angesh sustained a gunshot wound to his leg. He was immediately taken into custody and admitted to a hospital. Police sources confirmed his injuries were minor, and he remains under medical supervision.

Police officials said that during preliminary interrogation, Angesh confessed to his involvement in more than a dozen serious criminal cases across Patna and neighbouring districts. He also revealed details about his possession of illegal firearms and previously looted items.

Following his confession, the police have launched search operations to recover the stolen property and weapons used in his crimes. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has also reached the site to collect evidence, including spent cartridges and ballistic traces.

A fresh FIR has been lodged against Angesh under multiple sections, including attempt to murder, use of firearms in public, and violation of the Arms Act.

“This arrest is a significant step in our ongoing crackdown on organized crime and repeat offenders. Such operations will continue to maintain public safety and deter criminal activities,” the SSP added.

This comes a day after another notorious criminal was arrested in Vaishali following a similar police operation.