UP nirman nigam ex-officer ran shell companies in his, wife’s names to launder black money: Probe

LUCKNOW Three shell companies, including one registered in the name of former deputy project manager of UP Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN) Rajveer Singh and two in his wife’s name surfaced in investigation by the Vigilance Establishment on Wednesday, said officials.
They said it was surprising that Singh owned a GST registered firm in his name despite being in government job.
The vigilance teams had carried out raids on five properties belonging to Singh in Delhi and Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday which continued on Wednesday. The crackdown uncovered assets valued at over ₹50 crore, including two complexes in Delhi worth ₹20 crore, a ₹5 crore bungalow in Noida along with jewelry worth ₹77 lakh and ₹1 lakh cash.
Besides, two hostels in Gautam Buddh Nagar, valued at ₹4 crore each, with ₹21 lakh ACs and other items, several acres of land in Ghaziabad, mutual funds, insurance policies, demat accounts, and other investments worth crores also came to fore.
Rajveer Singh, a resident of Aligarh, had previously worked in Lucknow and currently resided in Noida’s Sector 105. This action was part of the department’s efforts to curb corruption and unearth illegal assets acquired by government officials, said Vigilance Establishment director Rajiv Krishna.
The three shell companies used to launder black money. So far, investigation has revealed that Singh had legitimate income of ₹1.78 crore, but his expenditure went up to ₹2.67 crore. Unaccounted assets and properties worth ₹ ₹50 crore, including eight properties in Aligarh, were found during the raids. Multiple discrepancies were detected in asset declarations and further evaluation of his assets was being done, said another official.