Saurabh Sharma, a former constable from Madhya Pradesh, surrendered to a Bhopal court facing allegations of disproportionate assets after evading arrest since December. His properties were raided, revealing assets worth Rs 8 crore. Sharma allegedly financed a school and hotel through corrupt means, prompting investigations by Lokayukta, ED, and I-T departments.
Bhopal: Saurabh Sharma, a former Madhya Pradesh Transport Department constable who had been on the run since December, made an appearance before a Bhopal court on Monday (Jan 27th). He filed an application to surrender in connection with an ongoing investigation into disproportionate assets amassed through alleged corrupt means, according to Lokayukta police.
Sharma, who had made headlines in mid-December when the Lokayukta police raided his properties and seized assets worth nearly Rs 8 crore, including Rs 2.87 crore in cash, has been evading arrest until his surrender attempt on Monday. The raid on his premises uncovered a shocking amount of wealth, including 234 kilograms of silver, jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh, and other assets, including vehicles, valued at Rs 2.21 crore. His extravagant accumulation of wealth led to his investigation for illegal enrichment.
Sharma, who was appointed as a constable on compassionate grounds in 2015 after the death of his father, allegedly used the money from corrupt activities to fund his massive property portfolio, which included setting up a school and a hotel under the names of his mother, wife, and other close associates, including Chetan Singh Gaud and Sharad Jaiswal. The investigation revealed that Sharma had voluntarily retired in 2023.
Despite his lawyer’s claim that Sharma had “surrendered,” the Lokayukta police clarified that the application was only a formal request, and Sharma had not yet formally surrendered. According to Sharma’s lawyer, Rakesh Parashar, the court has given his client time until Tuesday, citing a need for his case diary to proceed.
The Lokayukta police had initiated raids on December 18 and 19, uncovering the massive ill-gotten wealth. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (I-T) Department also joined the investigation, conducting their own parallel searches and launching independent probes into the matter. Following the raids, summonses were issued to Sharma, his wife, mother, and associates, including Gaud and Jaiswal.
In a separate action on December 19, the I-T department seized over Rs 10 crore in cash and 50 kg of gold from a car owned by Gaud on the outskirts of Bhopal.
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