Patna: The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police on Tuesday raided several premises linked to two senior govt officials for allegedly amassing assets far beyond their known sources of income. The searches targeted Kishanganj SDPO Gautam Kumar and Saharsa District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) officer Vaibhav Kumar with teams conducting operations in several districts of Bihar as well as in Siliguri, West Bengal.The action follows two FIRs registered on March 29, 2026, at the EOU police station in Patna. Search warrants were issued by the special vigilance court in Patna, and teams led by additional and deputy superintendents of police carried out the raids.Investigators allege that Gautam possesses assets about 60.27% higher than his known income, amounting to nearly Rs 1.94 crore in disproportionate wealth. Searches were conducted at six locations, including his official residence in Kishanganj and properties in Purnia, Patna and Siliguri.At his Purnia residence, officials recovered documents related to around 25 plots of land along with papers linked to insurance and other financial investments. His four-storey house in Purnia, spread over about 3,600 square feet, is estimated to have cost around Rs 2.5 crore, though supplier bills exceeding Rs 1 crore were also recovered.Investigators also seized expensive watches, vehicles and documents related to plans to open a nursing home in Patna. From his official residence, Rs 1.37 lakh in cash and investment documents were recovered, while four additional land documents were seized from his ancestral home in Patna.Searches at his in-laws’ house yielded documents related to gold jewellery and investments by his wife, Ruby Kashyap, which are being valued. At the residence of co-accused Shagufta Shamim, investigators found documents related to seven land plots and gold jewellery worth around Rs 60 lakh, along with evidence of cash deposits and online transfers into her bank account.Nayyar Hasnain Khan, additional director general of police (ADG) of EOU, said the Purnia house appeared highly luxurious and possibly worth much more than the declared value. “Raids are still going on. His properties are not only spread in Bihar but in other parts, including West Bengal, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and maybe across the border also,” he said.In a separate case, EOU teams searched eight locations linked to Vaibhav in Saharsa and Muzaffarpur. Investigators allege he acquired assets worth about Rs 2.41 crore disproportionate to his income, with his wealth increasing by around 78.03% after joining govt service.Officials recovered documents related to investments in LIC, SBI Life and NPS, and evidence of cash deposits exceeding Rs 20 lakh in bank accounts. Investigators also found 16 registration documents for commercial and residential land in Muzaffarpur and Patna purchased since 2016 in the names of his wife, son and father.Records also show that Vaibhav spent around Rs 1.5 crore to build facilities for an ITI training institute in Muzaffarpur through a charitable trust managed by his father.The EOU has informed the rural development department and the home department about the allegations and the officers’ alleged dereliction of duty.
