Hyderabad: In a major crackdown, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Kaleshwaram project Executive Engineer Nune Sridhar on charges of amassing illegal assets far beyond his known sources of income. The ACB court has sent him to 14 days judicial remand, following which he was shifted to Chanchalguda jail in the early hours of Thursday.
The ACB launched simultaneous raids at 13 locations linked to Sridhar and his associates, covering properties in Hyderabad, Karimnagar, and Bengaluru. Sridhar was initially detained in Karimnagar and later brought to Hyderabad for further investigation. The agency is now seeking his custody to open his bank lockers, which are believed to contain further undisclosed assets.
Sources say the market value of Sridhar’s illegal assets easily crosses ₹100 crore. The searches included multiple sites in Hyderabad (six locations), Bengaluru (four locations), and Karimnagar, including the Kaleshwaram project office itself. During these raids, officials reportedly uncovered substantial wealth accumulated through corrupt practices.
Sridhar, who was posted as Executive Engineer in the Irrigation Department’s Choppadandi division, played a key role in overseeing the high-profile Gayatri Pump House under the Kaleshwaram project. He is also suspected to have received hefty kickbacks during the procurement of the massive ‘Baahubali motors’ installed at the pump house. Additionally, he was in charge of another major pump house constructed at Ramadugu mandal in Choppadandi constituency.
The ACB’s investigation revealed that Sridhar had been abusing his influential position within the multi-crore Kaleshwaram project to accumulate disproportionate wealth over several years. Further inquiries are underway.
