Indore: In a major crackdown on corruption, three teams of Lokayukta Police conducted simultaneous raids on the residence, gym, and departmental store linked to Laxmi Narayan Kandwal, Joint Director in the Women and Child Development Department, on Wednesday morning. The operation unearthed assets worth nearly Rs 9.76 crore, which are highly disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Massive Disproportionate Assets
Investigators revealed that Kandwal, who has been in government service since 1996, accumulated assets that are 286.7% higher than his declared income of around Rs 2.8 crore. Based on these findings, a case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Lokayukta SP Rajesh Sahay stated that a complaint alleging corruption and accumulation of disproportionate assets by the senior official was received. After a preliminary verification confirmed the allegations, a case was registered. With a search warrant from a Special Court, Lokayukta teams launched coordinated searches at three locations starting around 6 am.
Secrecy and Surprise
The operation was conducted with complete secrecy, and neither Kandwal nor his family members were aware of the impending action. The sudden arrival of a large number of Lokayukta personnel early in the morning drew attention in the neighborhood as searches began simultaneously at his residence and business establishments.
Investigators found that several assets had been acquired in the names of his wife, sons, daughter-in-law, and other relatives.
Key Assets Discovered
Among the most significant assets detected was a commercial-cum-residential property named Anand Vihar in Scheme No. 103, Indore. The property consists of a G+3 structure spread over approximately 13,560 square feet, with commercial establishments on the lower floors and the family residing on the top floor. The investment in the plot and construction has been estimated at about Rs 2.66 crore.
Officials also found MS Gym Centre operating from a lavish two-storey building equipped with modern fitness machines, expensive equipment, and advanced facilities. Another Lokayukta team searched a departmental store linked to Kandwal, which was operating on a large scale dealing in a wide range of daily-use consumer products.
Extensive Property Holdings
Searches at Kandwal's residence and other premises led investigators to properties valued at approximately Rs 10.10 crore. The assets include a commercial plot in Indore and around 12 plots located in and around the Pithampur industrial region, an area that has witnessed rapid growth in land values over the years.
According to Lokayukta officials, Kandwal served in several districts during his career, including Jhabua, Ratlam, Neemuch, Rewa, Shahdol, Ujjain, Dewas, and Indore. Based on the assessment conducted so far, his known income from salary sources is estimated at around Rs 2.8 crore, including agricultural income valued at Rs 30 lakh. In contrast, the value of assets traced during the investigation stands at approximately Rs 9.76 crore.
Ongoing Investigation
The searches continued throughout the day, and officials stated that further scrutiny of documents, financial records, and the bank locker could reveal additional details regarding the extent of the assets and their sources.
