Acting on tip, cops seize Rs 50 lakh during search at Bihar engineer’s home

The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar police announced the seizure of Rs 50 lakh in cash during searches at an executive engineer's premises, who is currently under investigation for a disproportionate assets case. DIG Manavjeet Singh Dhillon revealed that the cash was found during a search in Muzaffarpur and is currently being counted using specialized machinery.

The search operation is targeting Narad Kumar Das, an executive engineer in the state's Planning and Development Department, following the registration of a case against him by the EOU on October 7. The case was initiated under Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, based on information from a "reliable source" regarding assets allegedly acquired by Das that surpass his known sources of income.

DIG Dhillon disclosed that evidence suggests the existence of Rs 83,53,200 in assets, which is about 64.93% higher than his known income. The EOU acquired search warrants from the Special Court, Vigilance, Patna, and initiated searches at five locations across Bhagalpur, Munger, Patna, and Muzaffarpur on Thursday morning. These locations encompass Das's residences in Bhagalpur and Patna, a flat in Muzaffarpur, and a site in Munger, as well as the government office of the Local Area Engineering Organisation, Works Division in Munger.

The EOU stated that the searches are ongoing, implying that additional seizures may occur during the operation.