Gujarat’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) seized 22 kg of gold price round Rs 16 crore and Rs 3 crore in money in reference to a case of disproportionate belongings (DA) registered final month in opposition to suspended Rajkot city planner MD Sagathiya. ACB officers stated the gold and arduous money, which had been unaccounted for, had been seized from his brother’s workplace within the metropolis on Tuesday.
Sagathiya was arrested by the ACB and produced in court docket on Monday. This comes after his six-day remand, which ended on June 24, in a separate case of forgery registered by the Rajkot Crime Department. The ACB had secured his switch warrant and sought additional remand. Hours after his manufacturing in court docket, the ACB carried out searches at his brother Dilip Sagathiya’s workplace in Twin Star, a high-end business hub close to Nana Mava Chow on Ring Street late on Monday night.
“Once we produced Sagathiya, we additionally intimated the court docket that now we have recorded the assertion of MD Sagathiya’s brother Dilip Sagathiya and that the latter has consented to open his workplace for the aim of investigation, although he isn’t an accused within the case as of now,” a senior ACB officer informed The Indian Express on Tuesday.
The officer stated that after the investigation was permitted by court docket, “Dilip Sagathiya helped open the biometric lock of the workplace and facilitated searches there”, including that Dilip claims to be a farmer by occupation.
Twin Star commerical advanced in Rajkot. (Specific picture)
MD Sagathiya was first arrested on Could 30 by a particular investigation staff (SIT) of Rajkot metropolis police for his alleged acts of omission that had led to a blaze at TRP Sport Zone which killed 27 folks. The SIT’s probe had reportedly revealed that Sagathiya was conscious that TRP Sport Zone, a gaming zone advanced, had been functioning since 2021 with out due clearance from the Rajkot Municipal Companies’ city planning division, which he was heading. Nonetheless, the city planner had taken no motion in opposition to the gaming zone, resulting in the fireplace.
The ACB had booked Sagathiya on June 19 for allegedly proudly owning DAs price Rs 10.55 crores. The DA case was registered in opposition to Sagathiya following ACB searches at his workplace in RMC headquarters as properly at his residence on Could 30, within the aftermath of the blaze.
“We had been conscious in regards to the existence of this workplace close to Nana Mava Chowk put up the searches in Could. Nonetheless, Sagathiya’s brother was out of city and never reachable even on his cellphone. However subsequently, he joined the investigation and acknowledged that he stored mum, fearing his household can be focused,” the ACB officer stated.
Simultaneous searches had been carried out on the workplace and residence of Bhikha Theba, deputy chief fireplace officer of Rajkot. Theba was additionally arrested by the ACB for allegedly proudly owning 79.94 lakh price of DAs.
The Rajkot Crime Department had filed a separate offence in opposition to Sagathiya on June 8 for allegedly forging a minutes ebook of his workplace on Could 27 to create false data of conferences as his defence within the aftermath of the fireplace. After his 12-day SIT remand ended on June 12, the Rajkot Crime Department had arrested him on June 17 and secured his second remand for till June 24.
The SIT has to date arrested 15 folks in reference to the TRP Sport Zone fireplace. They embody eight officers of RMC, together with Sagathiya, Theba and Rajkot’s chief fireplace officer Ilesh Kher, 5 homeowners of TRP Sport Zone, a supervisor of the gaming zone and a welder whom the gaming zone had employed by fabricating a brand new shed so as to add a snow park to the power. Theba was additionally arrested by the ACB for allegedly proudly owning 79.94 lakh price of DAs.