CBI finds huge assets in IT Deputy Director's house

New Delhi, May 26 (UNI) A top Income Tax department official is on the run after amassing crores of rupees worth misgotten wealth, the Central Bureau of Investigation said today.

Searches at the office and residence of the department's Deputy Director (Investigation) (Meerut) Satish Kumar revealed huge assets besides several incriminating documents, an agency spokesman said.

CBI officials had yesterday accosted him at Mohaddipur on the Noida-Meerut byepass road while accepting Rs 8 lakh in bribe from the owner of a private pharmaceutical company.

Kumar, however, threw away the money and sped away in his vehicle. After a chase, the CBI team arrested the driver and another person from the vehicle, but Kumar had escaped. An unlicensed pistol was also recovered from the vehicle.

During searches at his residence and office premises today, the agency discovered that Kumar and his family owned a 125-acre benami farmhouse at Parikshitgarh in Meerut district worth several crores of rupees, 15 bank accounts, two bank lockers, two flats/houses at NOIDA (UP), bonds, investment in LIC and UTI worth around Rs 12 lakh.

While the bank accounts were frozen, the lockers were yet to be operated, the CBI spokesman said.

The agency also found 25 bottles of imported liquor at his residence which were handed over to the local police for legal action. Twenty-two live gun cartridges were also seized from the place for which no licence/other papers were found.

Six official files were also seized from his residence, the spokesman said.

''Efforts are being made to nab the absconding accused'', he said.

UNI VN MSJ BST2009