Major Corruption Bust in Bihar Municipal Office
In a significant crackdown on corruption, the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB) conducted coordinated raids on Wednesday targeting Upendra Nath Verma, the Executive Officer of Rosera Municipal Council in Samastipur, uncovering substantial unexplained wealth.
Armed with search warrants from the Special Vigilance Court in Patna, two separate teams simultaneously raided multiple locations including Verma's personal residence in Patna's Ashiana phase-2, his official residence in Rosera, and the Rosera Municipal Council office itself.
Wealth Recovery Details
The raids yielded impressive recoveries that continued late into the night. Investigators seized Rs 10.5 lakh in cash along with gold and silver jewellery valued at approximately Rs 27.3 lakh.
Beyond the immediate cash and jewellery, the operation uncovered additional substantial assets including:
- Two luxury cars registered in Verma's name
- Bank passbooks and insurance investment documents
- Three additional land deeds beyond the 11 already under investigation
- Various other valuable items
The discovery of three more land purchase documents during the raid increased the total number of properties under scrutiny to fourteen separate land holdings.
Legal Background and Investigation
This extensive search operation stemmed from a Vigilance police station case originally registered on November 25. The First Information Report (FIR) had accused the government official of accumulating disproportionate assets worth approximately Rs 1.16 crore.
According to official statements, these assets represent 86.3% higher value than Verma's known sources of income, raising serious questions about corruption and misuse of official position.
Verma, who resides in Ashiana phase-2 under Rajiv Nagar police station jurisdiction in Patna, now faces intense scrutiny as forensic and valuation experts examine all recovered items and documents to establish their exact value and provenance.
Ongoing Scrutiny and Next Steps
Official sources confirmed that all seized materials are currently undergoing detailed forensic examination to build a comprehensive case against the municipal officer.
The investigation represents part of the Bihar government's continued efforts to combat corruption among public officials, particularly those handling municipal funds and development projects.
As the valuation process continues, authorities anticipate potentially more revelations about the scale of assets accumulated by the government officer, whose legitimate income sources appear dramatically insufficient to explain the recovered wealth.
