In a significant development, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) executed an extensive operation on Friday, conducting targeted searches at multiple locations associated with Mr. Shishir Kumar Verma. Mr. Verma holds the esteemed position of assistant manager-cum-deputy general manager with the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (BSFCSCL). The EOU’s actions were in connection with an ongoing investigation into a case involving disproportionate assets (DA).
The diligent operation encompassed searches at Mr. Verma’s professional domain in Patna and extended to his residential properties in both Patna and Betia, situated in West Champaran. The basis for these searches was a case registered at the economic offences police station only a day prior.
A high-ranking official within the EOU revealed that during his seven-year tenure with the department, Mr. Verma had amassed an income exceeding Rs 45 lakh that could not be accounted for by his known sources of revenue. Astonishingly, this equated to an alarming 101.6% surplus compared to his documented income.
The EOU’s investigation also unveiled an array of eye-catching acquisitions, including the purchase of six land plots, totaling an estimated value of over Rs 64 lakh, dispersed across Patna, Betia, and Noida. Furthermore, the official was found to hold 11 bank accounts with approximately Rs 4 lakh in cumulative deposits. An EOU statement released on Friday disclosed that, prior to assuming his service role, Mr. Verma possessed a meager Rs 11,000 in his bank account, in addition to his ancestral properties.
During the raids executed at his rented residence in Patna, the search team made significant seizures, including a sum of Rs 37,200 in cash, gold jewelry with an estimated worth of Rs 14 lakh, various investment documents, an automobile, and several airline tickets, amounting to an expenditure of Rs 4 lakh.
Concurrently, a separate team, conducting raids at his ancestral residence in Betia, uncovered a car, three motorbikes, jewelry exceeding Rs 11 lakh in value, and 34 land plot documents. Remarkably, it was discovered that Mr. Verma was allocating approximately 25% of his total earnings toward his rental property.
An EOU official indicated that further actions would be initiated following a meticulous analysis of the confiscated documents, implying the potential for a subsequent augmentation in the accumulated assets as the investigation unfolds. The official emphasized the likelihood of continued asset discovery during the thorough examination.
This operation raises important questions about the apparent disparities in Mr. Verma’s financial holdings, warranting a comprehensive investigation into the sources of his amassed wealth.
