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3 days ago
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ARTICLE AD BOX
Investigations are being conducted in Sitamarhi, where Rai also held additional responsibilities, as well as Samastipur, where he hails from.
On Thursday night, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar police received a tip-off that Binod Kumar Rai, the Superintending Engineer of the Rural Works Department in Madhubani, had left his office in the evening in a white Innova car.
“A reliable source informed us that Rai, who also holds the additional charge of Sitamarhi district, was carrying Rs 5 crore in cash, which had allegedly been accumulated through illegal activities,” alleged ADG (EOU) Nayyar Hasnain Khan.
In response to this information, a special EOU team was formed under the supervision of DIG Manavjit Singh Dhillon, led by ASP Kumar Indra Prakash and DSP-cum-SHO Rakesh Kumar, to investigate further. Early next morning, the team arrived at the four-story residence of the Superintending Engineer, located on Bhootnath Road in Patna, for a search.
“The plan was to begin the raid at daybreak. However, when the team arrived, the suspect’s wife refused to open the door, stating she was home alone,” an officer said.
Later, the team noticed the distinct smell of burning from inside the house. “When we pressed her again, she insisted everything was fine,” the officer said.
Eventually, women officers were called in from the local Agamkuan police station. After informing the wife that they would force entry if she did not cooperate, she allowed the team inside around 9:30 am.
On searching the property, the EOU officers found that the ground and first floors were rented out, while the remaining three floors were occupied by Rai and his family.
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“During the search, we found a significant volume of burnt and damaged Rs 500 currency notes, along with their remnants, in the home’s toilet pipes,” alleged an EOU official. The drains were found to be clogged, prompting the team to enlist the help of municipal workers to clear them.
“We recovered both partially burnt and unburnt currency, as well as additional documents,” the officer said. Experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory were called in to assist in preserving and evaluating the evidence.
“While continuing the search, we found additional Rs 500 notes hidden in polythene packets within the home’s water tank,” the officer said.
According to the EOU, the team seized Rs 52 lakh in cash, in addition to gold and silver jewellery worth approximately Rs 26 lakh, insurance policy documents, property documents, and the Innova Crysta car.
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“Binod Kumar Rai was found hiding in a room on the ground floor. Preliminary investigations suggest that he was involved in illegal activities. He has been arrested, along with his wife, for obstructing the search operation,” ADG Khan said.
Investigations are being conducted in Sitamarhi, where Rai also held additional responsibilities, as well as Samastipur, where he hails from.
English (US) ·