Land, houses, cars: Rs 8 Cr illegal assets of ex-Palakonda Nagar Panchayat commissioner unearthed

Srikakulam, October 14: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) unearthed illegal assets worth Rs eight crore allegedly amassed by N Rama Rao, former commissioner of Palakonda Nagar Panchayat in Parvathipuram Manyam district.

It may be recalled that Rama Rao was arrested by ACB officials on September 21 for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from V Kurma Rao for alloting the shop on a lease basis. During the trap, the ACB officials found that Rama Rao indulged in corrupt practices during his stint.

Based on concrete clues, the ACB officials led by Deputy Superintendent of Police, Srikakulam Range, BVSS Ramana Murthy on Friday raided the houses of Rao and his relatives at four places at Palakonda in Manyam district and Saripalle under Nellimarla Mandal in Vizianagaram district.

ACB officials said that Rama Rao's assets were over and above his known sources of income. The illegal assets include land holdings, houses, vehicles, gold, cash, and a few others are estimated to be around Rs8 0 lakh as per the registration value. However, its market value is over Rs 8 crore.

"We will verify the bank accounts, LIC bonds, and other valuables to unearth more illegal assets. The raids will continue. We will open his bank locker too," the ACB officials said.

ACB registered a case under section 7 (a) of the PC (Amendment) Act-2018 in September for accepting the bribe. "We will register a DA case against Rama Rao for amassing illegal assets and the investigation is on," the ACB officials added.