Engineer booked for huge assets, another for bribe in J

Srinagar, May 30 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir Vigilance Organisation today registered a case against an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) for possessing disproportionate assets and booked another for accepting bribe.

A vigilance spokesperson said a case was registered against Nazir Ahmed Choudhary, an AEE with the Power Development Department (PDD), Jammu, for having acquired property disproportionate to his known sources of income by misusing official position and indulging in corrupt practices.

The Vigilance Organisation launched inquiry following allegations of acquisition of disproportionate assets by the AEE.

During investigations, the spokesperson said it was revealed that the accused has acquired movable and immovable assets which included a huge complex - Maloofa Complex - at Sainik Colony in Jammu in 2002-03 worth more than Rs 1.5 crore.

The accused also owned an under-construction house at Choudi in Jammu worth Rs 25 lakh. He also owns a single-storeyed house at Gujjar Colony in Jammu worth Rs five lakh, he added.

The AEE has a Chevrolet car in his name and a Maruti-800 in the name of his wife. His residential house has modern electronic household gadgets and costly furnishings, the spokesperson said.

The verification conducted further revealed that Choudhary was appointed as a junior engineer in the PDD in 1980 and his salary was the only known and visible source of income. The assets in his possession were prima facie disproportionate to his known sources of income, he added.

The spokesperson said vigilance sleuths conducted searches in the premises of the accused today during which some incriminating documents pertaining to the acquisition of assets have been seized.

In another case, the Vigilance Organisation produced a charge-sheet in the court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Kashmir, against AEE Fayaz Ahmad Zargar, who was caught red handed while accepting bribe of Rs 20,000 on October 10 last year.

A case was registered on a complaint by Ghulam Mohammad Mir, alleging that the AEE demanded Rs 20,000 as illegal gratification for approving a bill in his favour.

The vigilance officials laid a trap during which the accused was caught red handed while accepting Rs 20,000 as bribe.

The charge-sheet was produced against the AEE in the court after accord of sanction for prosecution by the state government, the spokesperson said.

UNI