Bihar Bureaucrat Couple Raided: Over ₹1 Crore Cash, Jewellery and Luxury Watches Recovered
Patna: A major vigilance operation targeting a senior bureaucrat couple in Bihar has uncovered cash, jewellery, luxury watches and documents linked to several properties and financial investments. The raids were carried out on Monday at multiple locations in Patna and Begusarai as part of an investigation into allegations of disproportionate assets.
The couple under investigation are Ravindra Kumar Diwakar, Additional District Magistrate (Supply) in Patna, and his wife Kumari Sweety, who serves as District Sub-Registrar in Danapur.
According to officials, teams from the Bihar Vigilance Bureau conducted simultaneous searches at their Patna residence and their ancestral home in Begusarai. During the operation, investigators recovered a substantial amount of cash along with gold and silver jewellery, luxury watches and documents relating to land, bank accounts, investments and other financial transactions.
The cash recovered so far is reported to have crossed ₹1 crore. Officials also brought counting machines to the premises to verify and count the recovered currency. The operation was conducted under the supervision of senior Vigilance Department officials, with the DIG also present during the searches.
What was recovered?
At the Patna residence, officials reportedly found around ₹70 lakh in cash along with 48 luxury watches valued at approximately ₹6 lakh.
At the family’s ancestral property in Begusarai, another ₹9 lakh in cash was recovered, along with gold and silver jewellery.
Investigators also seized documents connected with land holdings, investments, bank accounts and other financial transactions from both locations. The Vigilance Bureau is examining these records to establish the source and value of the assets.
Officials have cautioned that the exact amount of cash, jewellery and other valuables can only be confirmed after the entire search and verification process is completed.
Properties under the scanner
The investigation is also looking into several properties allegedly acquired by Ravindra Kumar Diwakar and his family members.
According to the information available so far, two flats in Patna, registered in the names of Diwakar and his wife, have an estimated combined value of around ₹1.07 crore.
The authorities are also examining three plots in Patna that were registered in the names of his wife and father. These properties are reportedly valued at approximately ₹1.28 crore.
The Vigilance Bureau is now expected to compare the value of these assets and other investments with the couple’s known sources of income. This assessment will help investigators determine whether the assets fall within the scope of the disproportionate-assets allegations.
Investigation still underway
The searches are part of an ongoing investigation, and officials have not yet announced the final value of the assets seized. The recovered cash, jewellery, watches and documents will have to be formally verified and assessed before the agency reaches further conclusions.
An official statement from the Vigilance Department detailing the complete findings is awaited.
Officials have also indicated that an FIR could be registered against the individuals concerned if the investigation establishes that the assets were disproportionate to their known sources of income.
For now, the case remains under investigation, with authorities examining financial records and property documents to determine the nature and extent of the alleged disproportionate assets.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets
