Gujarat officer amasses Rs10 cr in 10 yrs, held for corruption

AHMEDABAD, December 29

The Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Gujarat Police has arrested a Class-II officer who was found to have amassed wealth valued at more than Rs 10 crore in just 10 years, a record 201 per cent more than his known sources of income.

Pravinkumar Premal was only an assistant director in the state-owned Gujarat Land Development Corporation posted at its Dharampur office in south Gujarat. He amassed the wealth between 2008 and 2018 and was found to have purchased at least 32 illegal properties during the period including some open plots, flats, restaurants as well as a BMW car.

Cases have also been registered against his wife Damayanti Premal and son Chirag Premal in whose bank account he had got more than Rs 3.96 crore ill-gotten money. The ACB found that in several cases, Pravinkumar had recorded only on paper construction of farm ponds for land development and pocketed over Rs two crores of government allocations for farmers.

He was also found to have misused his powers to appoint “gang leader” for various projects for the development of fallow lands for agricultural uses by naming his unqualified son for the posts and usurped over Rs 4 crore in the process. — OC