Electrical Inspector Caught With Rs 2 Crore Assets Months Before Retirement

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has busted a bribery racket involving a Class-1 government officer, Ashwin B. Chaudhari, who was serving as the Chief Electrical Inspector in Gandhinagar. Acting on a tip-off, ACB officials intercepted Chaudhari and recovered Rs 5.51 Lakh from his vehicle, which was later confirmed to be bribe money. 

The officer was reportedly fast-tracking files and issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for solar energy projects within a single day, entirely bypassing the mandatory protocol of on-site inspections in exchange for illegal gratification. 

Initial investigations reveal that he had recently cleared over 100 such files using this fraudulent method.

Following the interception, the ACB launched simultaneous raids at Chaudhari's government quarters in Sector-19, Gandhinagar, and his private residence at Shilp Residency on VIP Road in Vesu, Surat. 

The search operations yielded a staggering Rs 2.64 Crore in unaccounted assets. This included Rs 1.76 Crore in hard cash and gold and silver bullion valued at approximately Rs 88.82 lakh. ACB has officially registered a case against the Class-1 officer and has initiated a thorough scrutiny of his bank accounts to trace the full extent of his disproportionate assets.

The high-profile arrest has sent shockwaves through the department, especially given the officer's profile and clean record on paper. 

Chaudhari, who drew a substantial monthly salary of over Rs 1.70 Lakh, had only eight months left before his official retirement from government service. The ACB is currently expanding its investigation to identify other individuals, developers, or intermediaries who may have bribed the officer to secure quick approvals for their solar projects.