Mohan Yadav govt replaces Transport Commissioner following seizures from ex-RTO constable's premises

Bhopal, Jan 2 (IANS) In a reshuffle that came days after the seizure and recovery of assets worth crores from the premises linked to ex-RTO constable Saurabh Sharma, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav-led Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday transferred/reposted three senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, including state Transport Commissioner D.P. Gupta. 

The 1994-batch IPS officer D.P. Gupta has been appointed as Additional Director General (ADG) police headquarters (PHQ). He was appointed as Transport Commissioner in February 2024. Additional Director General (ADG) of police (PHQ planning) Vivek Sharma, a 1988-batch IPS officer, has been appointed as the new Commissioner of the state Transport Department.

Additional Director General (ADG) Yogesh Choudhary has been given additional charge of planning (PHQ).

The General Administration Department (GAD) of Madhya Pradesh issued a notification on Thursday.

The development came amid questions which were being raised about the state's Transport Department after recoveries worth crores from ex-RTO constable Saurabh Sharma and associates were made by multiple agencies in the past few days.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Income Tax department and the Special Establishment Police (SEP) of the state of Lokayukta carried out separate searches on several premises of Sharma and his associates in multiple locations, including Bhopal and Gwalior.

The first recovery took place during a Lokayukta raid last week, where anti-corruption officials discovered that Sharma was in possession of movable assets worth Rs 7.98 crore, including Rs 2.87 crore in cash and 235 kg of silver.

Several real estate investment documents and a cash-counting machine were also seized from properties linked to Sharma.

Subsequently, the Income Tax Department conducted another raid, uncovering 52 kg of gold bars worth Rs 40 crore and over Rs 11 crore in cash from an abandoned SUV in Bhopal.

The vehicle (SUV) was registered in the name of Chetan Singh Gaud, an alleged close associate of Sharma.

Officials suspect that the recovery is linked to Sharma, although official confirmation is pending.

Following the Lokayukta FIR, the ED has launched a money laundering investigation against Sharma, and raids were held in Bhopal, Gwalior, and Jabalpur last Friday.

During the raids, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) reportedly seized financial documents, assets, and electronic data from laptops and computers at various locations.

Sharma was appointed as a constable in the Transport Department in 2015 on compassionate grounds following the death of his father, a government doctor.

He took voluntary retirement in 2023. Officials allege Sharma amassed wealth through corrupt means, including establishing a school and a hotel under the names of his mother, wife, sister-in-law, and close associates Chetan Gaud and Sharad Jaiswal.

Documents seized from Sharma's residence and office reveal transactions amounting to crores of rupees, suggesting a substantial cash inflow.

However, Sharma may have been concerned about the potential deterioration of large sums of cash over time, leading him to favour precious metals.

The matter has triggered a political row as well, with opposition parties alleging corruption. The Opposition raised questions about the ruling BJP's stance on issues and matters related to corruption.

However, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has asserted that his government has adopted zero tolerance for corruption.

--IANS

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