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Madhya Pradesh’s ‘Golden Thriller’ Unsolved




Bhopal:

Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal is on the centre of one of the crucial sensational corruption instances in current historical past. The invention of 52 kilograms of gold and Rs 11 crore in money from an deserted automobile has raised a easy query: Who does it belong to?

Saurabh Sharma, a former constable within the Madhya Pradesh Transport Division, is on the coronary heart of a multi-agency probe involving the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Revenue Tax Division (IT), Directorate of Income Intelligence (DRI), and the Lokayukta police.

Empire Unraveled

Saurabh Sharma’s downfall started with a December 2024 raid, which unearthed property price almost Rs 8 crore, together with money, jewelry, and property paperwork. Then a white Toyota Innova, deserted within the Mendori jungle close to Bhopal, was discovered to include 52 kg of gold and Rs 11 crore in money.

What began as a corruption investigation right into a single officer has now uncovered a wider community of corruption involving senior authorities officers and actual property dealings throughout Madhya Pradesh.

Contradictions 

Including to the confusion, court docket paperwork revealed main discrepancies within the Lokayukta’s reporting of the seized property. Whereas early claims urged Rs 7.98 crore in money was recovered, a DSP-level officer later said the seizure was solely Rs 55 lakh, together with jewelry and silver.

These inconsistencies have raised questions of negligence – or deliberate misrepresentation – within the anti-corruption physique’s probe. The ED has taken over key elements of the probe, citing attainable violations beneath the Prevention of Cash Laundering Act (PMLA).

The Lacking Proprietor of the ‘Golden Automobile’

Regardless of a number of companies investigating the case, nobody has come ahead to assert the deserted treasure. The automobile was registered to Chetan Singh Gaur, a detailed affiliate of Sharma, however Gaur has denied any involvement, stating he had merely lent the automobile to a driver who has not been recognized but.

CCTV footage captured the automobile close to Sharma’s residence on the night time of the raids. But, the Lokayukta did not intercept the automobile, permitting it to be deserted later. This has led to hypothesis that insiders could have tipped off key suspects, giving them time to maneuver incriminating proof.

The ‘Golden Community’ 

The investigation has now expanded past Madhya Pradesh, with companies probing attainable hyperlinks to unlawful gold smuggling. Sharma’s monetary dealings point out connections to Dubai, Switzerland, and Australia.

Transactions price Rs 100 crore have surfaced, implicating transport officers throughout 52 districts.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh has demanded a judicial probe led by the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh Excessive Court docket. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Singh criticised the dealing with of the case and known as for unique management of the investigation by the ED and IT Division.

In response, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav defended his administration, stating, “Our authorities has all the time fought a principled battle in opposition to corruption. We had even shut down verify boundaries. We’re dedicated to combating corruption at each degree.”

For now, Saurabh Sharma and his associates, Chetan Gaur and Sharad Jaiswal, stay in judicial custody. However key questions stay unanswered:

Who owned the gold and money?


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