Raids On Andhra Officer Reveal 14 Homes, Roomful Of Silver. There May Be More

Hyderabad: At least 14 homes, a room full of silver items weighing 60 kg, 1 kg of gold articles and Rs 20 lakh in cash - this was what a Road Transport Authority employee in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur has apparently amassed within 34 years of service. The Anti-Corruption Bureau officials, who raided only one of his houses on Monday, said there may be more.

Purnachandra Rao, 55, had started his career as a Motor Vehicle Inspector in 1981, and eventually worked at RTA or Road Transport Authority in Guntur, Ongole and Nellore. But going by his assets, he seemed to have been on the fast track to make money for a long while.

The official's assets include seven apartments and two houses in Vinukonda, one house in Guntur, two flats in Hyderabad and Vijayawada each, and a mill to process pulses in Vinukonda.
 The official claims the value of his assets is around Rs 3 crore. The Anti-Corruption Bureau officials, who raided his house in Guntur on Monday, say their market value cannot be anything less than Rs 25 crore. "These are just some of the assets, we might get more," said Devanand Santho, an officer of the Anti-Corruption Branch.

Mr Rao came under the attention of the anti-corruption branch after a complaint alleging corruption was filed against him, Mr Santho added.

The official, who is from Vinukonda in Guntur district, lives with his family in Kothapet.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed a case against him under the law for assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.