Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has turned its lens on government officials who amassed assets far beyond their known income, beginning with irrigation department Chief Engineer Bhukya Hariram. The ED is reportedly preparing to file a case probing fund diversion angles under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Hariram, already in the ACB’s net, is accused of pocketing massive kickbacks during the execution of irrigation projects worth thousands of crores under the previous administration. The ACB booked him on May 26 in a disproportionate assets case and uncovered eye-popping properties during the raids.
Official estimates pegged his assets at ₹13.5 crore – but insiders believe the real figure exceeds ₹100 crore. In April, the ACB booked another assets case pegging the value at ₹50 crore. In total, four such cases have been filed in the first four months of this year, with market estimates placing the combined value at around ₹200 crore.
The ACB handles illicit assets of state employees, but if there’s evidence of laundering or fund diversion, the ED can file a separate case under PMLA. Illicit income is often routed through multiple channels or benami holdings – an area where the ED has jurisdiction to investigate and seize.
Sources say the ED has already asked for case files related to Hariram, making his the first in a possible series of probes targeting high-value corruption.
