Rajasthan government orders ACB probe into IAS officer and IPS wife
Investigators are looking into the purchase of 40 luxury properties worth Rs 6.16 crore by Shikhar Agrawal and Prashakha Mathur.
The Rajasthan government has authorised the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to investigate senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal and his wife, IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, regarding the purchase of 40 luxury properties. The couple and their family members have been placed under Awaiting Posting Orders (APO).
The investigation focuses on transactions worth Rs 6.16 crore involving Goyal Fashions Private Limited. The family allegedly bought 20 cottages in Udaipur and 20 villas in Alwar over two-and-a-half years. These properties were reportedly leased back to the firm for an annual rent of Rs 1.80 crore.
The ACB is examining if Agrawal provided official favours to the company during his time in the Industries Department and the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board. These alleged benefits include relaxed construction norms, expedited clearances, and special investment packages.
ACB Director General Govind Gupta stated that the properties may have been purchased at prices significantly lower than their market value. Investigators are also checking if a special investment concession was approved for the firm on the same day villa sale deeds were executed.
The properties are registered to Agrawal, Mathur, their two adult sons, and Mathur's parents. The probe will determine if the assets are disproportionate to their known income and if the couple failed to disclose the full extent of these acquisitions in their annual returns.
The inquiry, approved under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, will look for conflicts of interest and potential violations of service rules.