Patna,(BiharTimes): In yet another crackdown on corrupt official teams of Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) on Tuesday conducted raids at various premises of a prison department official in Patna, Delhi, Gurgaon, Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts. The raids were carried out in connection with a disproportionate asset (DA) case against Birchand Pratap Singh, director (industries) of the state home (prison) department. Undisclosed properties worth over Rs 6.65 crore were unearthed. The value is to increase further as evaluation is still going on.

In Patna, the SVU sleuths conducted raids at his officers’ flat on Bailey Road, Royal King’s Resort and flat number 404 at Veena Mansion in Nageshwar Colony area.

He had bought the resort in his wife's name for Rs 1.97 crore, according to the deed value of the property. The flat at the Veena Mansion was a duplex one purchased for Rs 17 lakh. The plots of the resort and the apartment are adjacent, and the interior of the flat was like hotel rooms. Thirteen rooms with attached bathrooms at the third and fourth floor of the Veena Mansion apartment were found. A plush house at S K Puri was also raided. His two luxury vehicles were seized. A deposit of Rs 44.50 lakh was found in the resort’s bank.

Three more plots at Naubatpur and S K Puri, which could be worth over Rs two crore were recovered. The plots were purchased in 2005 and construction work has started at each of the plots.

It needs to mentioned that Birchand Pratap Singh, in his official asset declaration, had stated that he owned jewellery worth over Rs 30 lakh, apart from other properties. A sum of Rs 80,000 in cash was recovered from his residence.

The sleuths recovered immovable properties worth Rs 12.27 lakh at Muzaffarpur and Rs 7.15 lakh at his native place in Sitamarhi.

Raids were also conducted at his under construction houses in Dwarka and Palam in Delhi and three-storied house at Sector-22 in Gurgaon.

According to IG (SVU) Praveen Vashistha he had invested mostly in real estate. His movable and immovable properties recovered on the first day of investigation are worth over Rs 6.65 crore. The value is expected to increase as they are yet to evaluate the value of jewellery seized from Birchand Pratap Singh’s residence. The bank lockers are also yet to be opened.

Anand Kishore, inspector general, prisons, said, the process of his suspension would be started as soon as the department gets an official complaint in connection with the DA case lodged against him by the SVU.

Like IPRD official, whose premises were raided last week, Singh too was posted in the state capital for so many years and amassing properties; yet he could not be detected till date. Ironically, most of the properties were amassed in the recent years when the state government had enacted a law to confiscate property of the corrupt official and open schools in them. It seems that they are not at all deterred by such moves.