Lokayukta unearths Rs 30cr assets from doctor couple

INDORE: The temple town of Ujjain is increasingly earning the tag of being home to the most corrupt in the state, if the recent Lokayukta raids are to go by. The Lokayukta’s Special Police Establishment (SPE) sleuths on Friday claimed to have recovered documents pointing to disproportionate assets worth Rs 30 crore, from a government-doctor couple.
The SPE team had raided the residence of Dr Vinod Laheri and Dr Vidya Laheri, who are posted in Nagda some 40 Km from Ujjain but were attached to the office of the Joint Director (Health). The team claimed to have recovered a rupee counting machine, documents related to six houses, and luxury vehicles from their possession.
SP (Lokayukta) O P Sagoria said the evaluation of the seized property was still under way. “But prima facie it appears that the couple had amassed property running into crores,” he said, adding that among their prime possessions were two houses each in Ujjain, Nagda and Indore. The cost of each house, according to Lokayukta sources, could be a minimum of Rs 1 crore. The houses are fully furnished and equipped with all the modern amenities, they added.
The couple has a son and a daughter studying in the local medical college in Ujjain. The sleuths said they recovered the admission receipt of the children, which showed the Laheris had paid a huge `donation’to get their kids admitted.
Interestingly, Dr Vinod and Dr Vidya Laheri’s total earnings from their government employment of 22 years was found to be only Rs 80 lakh.
Among other property in the name of the doctor could are—two warehouses, one petrol pump, 150 bigha both in Nagda and Ujjain. Four vehicles including an SUV and three two-wheelers, apart from a Godrej safe with ornaments and other valuables were also seized from them. The cops also recovered documents relating to a cold storage in Ujjain and of a flaked rice mill.
“They also had more than 10 accounts in banks,” said a police official,adding that the assessment of these accounts were on.