Lokayukta raid on WCD Joint Director exposes assets 286% above known income

Indore: Three teams of Lokayukta Police raided the residence, gym and departmental store linked to Laxmi Narayan Kandwal, Joint Director in the Women and Child Development Department, on Wednesday morning and unearthed assets worth nearly Rs 9.76 crore, highly disproportionate to his known sources of income.Investigators found that Kandwal, who has been in government service since 1996, amassed assets 286.7% higher than his declared income of around Rs 2.8 crore, leading to the registration of a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.Lokayukta SP Rajesh Sahay said they received a complaint alleging corruption and accumulation of disproportionate assets by the senior official. A preliminary verification found substance in the allegations, following which a case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. After obtaining a search warrant from a Special Court, Lokayukta teams launched coordinated searches at three locations from around 6 am.Officials said 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 neighbourhood as searches got underway simultaneously at his residence and business establishments.Investigators said several assets were found to have been acquired in the names of his wife, sons, daughter-in-law and other relatives.Among the most significant assets detected was a commercial-cum-residential property Anand Vihar, Scheme No. 103, Indore. The property comprises a G+3 structure spread over about 13,560 sq ft, with commercial establishments operating 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 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. According to officials, the establishment was operating on a large scale dealing in a wide range of daily-use consumer products.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 has 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, while the value of assets traced during the investigation stands at approximately Rs 9.76 crore.The searches continued through the day, and officials said further scrutiny of documents, financial records and the bank locker could reveal additional details regarding the extent of the assets and their sources.