Disproportionate assets: Manikonda electricity engineer Ambedkar raided, Rs 2 crore seized

Hyderabad: Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) seized around Rs 2 crore in cash during raids on the residence of a government officer named Ambedkar, serving as Assistant Divisional Engineer (ADE) in the Electricity Department. He is currently posted at the Manikonda division in Hyderabad.

The ACB carried out searches at multiple locations linked to him and his relatives on Tuesday, September 16. The state investigation agency deployed nearly 15 teams across Hyderabad, including Madhapur and Gachibowli.

The raids followed after the ACB were tipped off about Ambedkar’s alleged corruption. It is learnt that the officer has amassed crores of wealth disproportionate to his income.

Ambedkar was known for withholding power connections for bribes

Speaking to NewsMeter, a highly placed source said, “Ambedkar holds a record of having the highest pendency rate i.e., not granting electricity connections to private complexes in commercial areas, because he was seeking bribes in lakhs and crores. About a year ago, he was suspended from office for bad conduct, not being available in the office, seeking a bribe and other corruption allegations. However, the order was revoked within a few weeks.”

Owners of malls and theatres targeted

The officer further added, “Ambedkar would not just trouble private customers of electricity but also his staff at work. He was well known for harassing many private customers especially those seeking electricity connections in commercial locations. Whenever a smallest power connection is needed, Ambedkar would harass the customer and charge hefty bribes. Even if the work was small, Ambedkar demanded high graft. The victims were mostly owners of malls, theatres and commercial complexes.”