20 luxury villas were acquired on the very day the government file granting concession was signed. An IAS-IPS couple, both senior administrative officers, are now caught in the net of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on charges of amassing huge assets through a secret understanding with a private resort group by misusing their official positions. The ACB has formally started a preliminary enquiry against senior IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal on charges of causing massive financial loss to the state government.
According to a statement issued by the ACB, the officer, who was serving as Additional Chief Secretary in the Industries Department, was involved in a major corruption case in collusion with the directors of Goyal Fashions Private Limited, which operates hotels and resorts under the ‘Ananta’ brand. In exchange for relaxing resort construction norms, granting approvals without verifying necessary documents, and providing a special subsidized financial package from the government, the officer acquired huge properties in his own name and in the names of his relatives.
According to information revealed in the preliminary enquiry, on March 27, the very day the state’s Finance Department approved the special subsidized financial package for Goyal Fashions, the officer completed the purchase registration of 20 villas at one go.
According to sources in the investigating agency, IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal and his IPS officer wife Prashakha Mathur acquired 10 villas each in their own names at Rs 15 lakh each in the Bujhda Resort in Udaipur. On the other hand, another eight luxury villas were purchased in the name of the couple at Rs 16.5 lakh each at the Ajabgarh Resort in Alwar district.
Not stopping there, four villas were registered in Udaipur at Rs 15 lakh each in the names of the bureaucrat couple’s two sons and another four villas in Ajabgarh at Rs 16.5 lakh each in the names of other relatives. The investigating agency has confirmed that these luxury properties were acquired at a price far below the market rate.
According to the anti-corruption agency, a special investigation has also been started to find out whether the officer and his family members have acquired assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Earlier, the agency had thoroughly examined newspaper reports and reports based on data from the Industries Department.
Meanwhile, the state government has immediately removed the senior officer from his post and ordered him to be kept awaiting posting orders. In addition, all documents and files are being scrutinized to see whether the officer had misused his position during his previous tenures as Deputy Commissioner of Udaipur, Chairman of the Pollution Control Board, and Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department.
