The Uttar Pradesh Vigilance Establishment has widened its investigation into the ₹7.5 lakh Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) bribery case after concluding the custodial interrogation of alleged middleman Shravan Kumar, recovering key digital evidence, and obtaining a list of the top 50 “professional complainants” who repeatedly flagged alleged illegal constructions through the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS) and other platforms, officials said.
Investigators are probing whether a nexus existed between habitual complainants, private middlemen and officials in the LDA’s enforcement wing to allegedly extort money from property owners by threatening demolition or other enforcement action.
Shravan Kumar, arrested along with LDA junior engineer Dinesh Kumar Verma and supervisor Chandra Prakash during a Vigilance trap on August 1, remained in police custody from Thursday morning to Friday evening after a Lucknow court granted the agency a two-day remand.
According to Vigilance sources, during the custodial interrogation, Kumar was questioned on multiple aspects of the alleged conspiracy, including his role in negotiating bribes, his association with LDA officials, the alleged misuse of IGRS complaints, and the movement of money.
Sources said investigators recovered a mobile phone from Kumar during the remand. The device allegedly contains multiple pieces of digital evidence that could establish communication between the accused and provide fresh leads into the alleged modus operandi. The mobile phone has been sent for forensic examination, and investigators expect the digital evidence to strengthen the prosecution’s case.
As part of the expanding investigation, the Vigilance team visited the LDA headquarters and obtained a list of the top 50 “professional complainants” who had frequently lodged complaints regarding illegal constructions through the IGRS portal and other grievance platforms. The list includes names and mobile numbers of individuals who repeatedly filed such complaints.
Investigators are examining whether these complaints were genuine or whether some were allegedly used as a tool to pressure builders and property owners into paying bribes through intermediaries. Officials said the inquiry would focus on identifying any pattern linking frequent complainants, middlemen and enforcement officials.
LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar had already said that the Vigilance team also sought records of IGRS complaints and CCTV footage connected with the investigation. To facilitate the probe, the authority has constituted a committee headed by secretary Vivek Srivastava to provide all documents and information sought by investigators within 24 hours.
Besides CCTV footage recorded between 11 am and 1 pm on the day of the trap, the LDA is also providing surveillance footage covering the previous month to help investigators identify suspected middlemen and other individuals who frequently visited the enforcement section.
The case originated from a complaint by a property owner who alleged that LDA junior engineer Dinesh Kumar Verma and supervisor Chandra Prakash, through alleged middleman Shravan Kumar, demanded ₹15 lakh to avoid action against his property. After the complainant alerted the Vigilance Establishment, the agency laid a trap on August 1 and arrested all three while they were allegedly accepting the first instalment of ₹7.5 lakh. Verma has since been suspended by the state government, while the LDA has suspended Chandra Prakash and initiated departmental proceedings.
