Hyderabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday raided the residence of former engineer-in-chief Muralidhar Rao in Hyderabad as part of its widening probe into corruption in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project.
Searches began early morning at his Banjara Hills residence and extended to 10 locations including homes of family members and relatives in Hyderabad, Karimnagar, and Zaheerabad. Sources said the ACB unearthed significant illegal assets linked to the former official.
Muralidhar Rao played a central role in the implementation of Kaleshwaram, which is now under scrutiny for irregularities in sub-contract allocations. The raids follow recent arrests of former ENC Hari Ram and executive engineer Noone Sridhar, in whose possession the ACB reportedly found hundreds of crores in unaccounted assets.
The Kaleshwaram Commission had previously questioned Muralidhar, who responded with denials and memory lapses, according to sources familiar with the inquiry. His name also features in the vigilance department’s internal report on the project.
ACB operations are expected to continue until late evening. Officials are likely to take Muralidhar Rao into custody following the raids.