In a significant crackdown on alleged corruption, the Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) of Bihar launched coordinated raids on Tuesday targeting properties associated with a senior official from the state's building construction department. The operations, spanning locations in Patna and Bhagalpur, unearthed evidence of wealth vastly exceeding the official's known sources of income.
Raids Unearth Extensive Property Portfolio
The focus of the investigation is Gajadhar Mandal, who serves as the Director (Quality Monitoring, North) in Darbhanga for the building construction department. The raiding teams, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Bindeshwar Prasad, recovered title deeds for a total of 16 land plots. These properties, located in Bhagalpur district's Jagdishpur, Sabour, and Gauradih areas, include 12 commercial and four residential plots.
Official records show that five of these documents are registered in Mandal's own name, while the remaining 11 are held in the name of his wife, Sandhya Kumari. The estimated combined value of these immovable assets has been pegged at a staggering Rs 3.41 crore.
Scrutiny of Movable Assets and Investments
Beyond the real estate, investigators made further crucial recoveries. They found fixed deposits and shares worth Rs 30.8 lakh held in his wife's name. Additional investments in entities like LIC and Star Health are also under the scanner for their source of funds.
The raid teams also physically seized gold and silver jewellery valued at Rs 8 lakh and cash amounting to Rs 1.88 lakh. A preliminary assessment indicates that Mandal and his family members possess movable and immovable assets—including lands, flats in Patna and Bhagalpur, vehicles, and jewellery—totalling approximately Rs 3.72 crore. Authorities suspect some assets may be held through benami, or proxy, holders.
Legal Action and Official Background
Confirming the legal proceedings, Additional Director General of Police, SVU, Pankaj Kumar Darad, stated that a disproportionate assets case has been formally registered against Gajadhar Mandal. The case invokes Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) and Section 61(2)(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Initial investigations suggest that Mandal allegedly accumulated unlawful assets worth around Rs 2.82 crore during his tenure in various government posts. This sum is deemed grossly disproportionate to his legitimate earnings as a public servant.
Mandal, a direct recruit of the Bihar Engineering Service who joined in 1996, is a native of Bhagalpur. He has served in various capacities, including as an executive engineer, across multiple districts. He was posted to the quality monitoring office in Patna's Rajbanshi Nagar roughly six months ago, prior to the raids.
The SVU's action underscores the state's intensified vigilance against corruption within its administrative machinery. The investigation is ongoing to trace the full trail of the assets and complete the evidentiary process for the prosecution.
