Hyderabad: Ex-chief engineer of Irrigation Department Muralidhar Rao held in disproportionate assets case

Hyderabad: Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday arrested former Engineer-in-Chief of the Irrigation Department, C. Muralidhar Rao, in a disproportionate assets case, after conducting searches at multiple locations that revealed properties, cash, gold, and investments worth several crores.

Raids at 12 locations across Telangana

The ACB launched simultaneous searches early Tuesday at Rao’s residence in Banjara Hills and 11 other places linked to him and his relatives in Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Zaheerabad, and other districts. During the raids, officials seized a vast list of movable and immovable assets.

Properties include villa, flats, lands, commercial buildings

According to the ACB, Rao owned a villa at Kondapur; flats in Banjara Hills, Yousufguda, Begumpet, and Kokapet; commercial buildings in Karimnagar and Hyderabad; an apartment in Kodad; an under-construction apartment in Warangal; and a solar power project in Zaheerabad.

Additionally, he possessed 11 acres of agricultural land, four prime open plots in Hyderabad, and 6,500 square yards of land in Mokila.

Luxury vehicles, gold, and bank deposits seized

Officials also seized three four-wheelers, including a Mercedes Benz car, gold ornaments, and substantial bank deposits. The ACB noted that the market value of these assets is expected to be much higher than their official registration values.

Rao accused of amassing wealth through misuse of office

Rao, who served as Engineer-in-Chief for nearly a decade during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, allegedly acquired these assets by abusing his official position.

He retired in 2013 in undivided Andhra Pradesh but continued in service through multiple extensions until he was asked to resign in February this year after a Vigilance inquiry into the sinking of piers at the Medigadda barrage, part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.

Arrest part of anti-corruption drive in irrigation sector

His arrest is part of ACB’s ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the irrigation department, particularly linked to the Kaleshwaram project.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against him for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The accused has been remanded to judicial custody, and further investigation is underway.