Lokayukta Searches Jabalpur Home of Commercial Tax Officer in Disproportionate Assets Case

Lokayukta police searched the Jabalpur residence of Commercial Tax Officer Manish Kumar Jain on Tuesday morning in a disproportionate assets case. The operation began at about 6 am at his home in Reliable Developer Colony, Jilhari. Jain is currently posted in Damoh.

According to the Lokayukta, a preliminary inquiry found that his expenditure of about ₹3.78 crore exceeded his known income of about ₹1.03 crore by roughly ₹2.74 crore, which works out to around 264 percent. The agency has registered a case under Sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Investigators have identified properties in Jabalpur, Bhopal and Sagar held in the names of Jain, his wife Nidhi Jain and his parents. His land in Jabalpur is valued at around ₹1.43 crore, and his wife is said to hold several plots. His parents are recorded as owning a bungalow and a flat in Bhopal, along with residential properties in Banda and Sagar. The team is also examining a car, a scooter and insurance policies involving nearly ₹34 lakh in spending.

The complaint was received by Lokayukta Superintendent of Police Anjulata Patle and verified by Inspector Brij Mohan Singh Narwariya. The operation was directed by Director General Yogesh Deshmukh and Deputy Inspector General Manoj Singh. Three teams took part, led by Deputy Superintendents Neetu Tripathi and Rekha Prajapati and Inspector Rajni Tiwari.

At the time of the report the searches were still on and officials were going through financial records, with more details expected later in the day. A case registration and a search are not proof of guilt, and the officer will have the chance to respond to the allegations in the legal process that follows.