MP Constable's Arrest Exposes Massive Graft

Saurabh Sharma's arrest uncovers massive corruption in Madhya Pradesh, revealing illicit wealth, shell companies, and money laundering.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

The arrest of Saurabh Sharma, a former constable with the Transport Department in Madhya Pradesh, has exposed the dark underbelly of the rampant corruption in the state.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the case, has so far seized assets worth Rs 92.07 crore linked to Sharma, who retired from the Transport Department in 2023 with a salary of Rs 28,000 per month.

The scandal broke in December 2024 when the state's Lokayukta Police raided Sharma's Arera Colony home and found Rs 1.14 crore in cash, gold and silver jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh, and property documents for benami holdings in Gwalior, Indore, and Bhopal.

A month later, the Income Tax Department intercepted an Innova car near Mendori Village, on the outskirts of Bhopal, and seized Rs 11.6 crore in cash and 51.893 kg of gold bricks (worth Rs 40.27 crore).

The driver, Pyare Lal, told investigators he was acting on Sharma's orders to hide the vehicle. It was revealed that Pyare Lal had been tasked with concealing the vehicle and its valuable contents as part of efforts to obscure the full scale of Sharma's wealth.

Additionally, the Rs 92 crore value attached by the Enforcement Directorate is not based on the market value but on the circle rate—the minimum rate set by the government for calculating stamp duty. The circle rate is the lowest value prescribed for property transactions according to government regulations. However, local Madhya Pradesh revenue officials informed The Sunday Guardian that the market value of the properties allegedly purchased by Sharma using his illicit wealth would exceed Rs 1,000 crore in total. For example, a seized double-story independent house in E-7 Arera Colony, built on 4,500 square feet, has been calculated at Rs 1.84 crore, while the actual market price of this property is more than Rs 12 crore.