New Delhi: Raids conducted by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on the basis of a tip-off has opened up a Pandora’s box of alleged disproportionate assets in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior.
On Saturday, a team of investigators raided four lavish residential properties and other establishments allegedly owned by one Prashant Parmar, a teacher at a government primary school in rural Maharajpura.
Parmar, who has been teaching at the school since 2006, earns around Rs 10,400 a month from this job, but is the owner of multiple properties worth crores in Gwalior city, sources in the EOW told ThePrint.
Besides four multi-storey houses in Gwalior, Parmar — who is in his 40s and comes from an agrarian family — owns two marriage halls, an office in a commercial complex in the city, and runs a private school, they added.
The EOW sources further said that Parmar also makes an income from teaching nursing and Bachelor of Education (BEd) courses in four college buildings he owns in Noorabad, which is an hour away from Gwalior. His brothers also own schools in Gwalior, they added.
Apart from his homes, the college buildings, office and marriage halls were also raided. Jewellery worth Rs 36 lakh was found in one of his homes, as was Rs 7.5 lakh in cash, it is learnt.
“It is not confirmed yet if these colleges are recognised and on what basis he was admitting students. We are trying to establish his sources of income,” Bittu Saigal, superintendent of police (SP), EOW, Gwalior, told ThePrint.
Parmar’s accumulated income of 16 years from his government teacher’s job is around Rs 20 lakh, but the EOW has confirmed properties worth Rs 2.13 crore. As their investigation proceeds, this number is expected to rise, officials said.
In light of the raids, it is learnt, the Parmars’ home was found locked.
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Modus operandi
In MP, private colleges can be set up through registered education societies. The initial investigation in the case is believed to have revealed that Parmar is the chairman of several such societies. Investigators suspect that this could be his modus operandi for setting up colleges.
Being a government employee, according to state laws, he cannot operate private businesses without permission. “There are rules set by the state for seeking permission to start private businesses, and Parmar did not have these,” said a senior official at the EOW.
While seeking such permissions, government officials have to declare their source of income.
The investigating agency is trying to establish if Parmar has accumulated assets under the names of his brothers or other family members.
“If you have to purchase property, being a government servant, you have to take permission from the government, showing your source of income. Even if the properties are bought in the names of family members, this permission is needed. We are inquiring whether or not this purchase of assets by Parmar is legal,” said EOW SP Saigal.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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