The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested a Class-I government officer and allegedly unearthed assets worth more than Rs 2.64 crore.

Ashwin Chaudhary, an electrical inspector at Udyog Bhavan in Gandhinagar for the past four years, was arrested after ACB officials intercepted his government vehicle and allegedly recovered Rs 5.51 lakh in cash along with gift vouchers.

According to sources, an ACB inspector had received information that Chaudhary, serving as Chief Electrical Inspector, was reportedly accepting bribes for clearing solar project files and issuing safety certificates without mandatory site inspections. He used to take the cash home daily in his official vehicle. The information was conveyed to senior officials, who placed him under surveillance before carrying out the operation.

According to investigators, every solar installation requires a physical inspection before a No Objection Certificate and safety clearance can be granted. However, the accused allegedly bypassed the process and approved files in exchange for bribes. According to ACB, in just the past week, he approved nearly 100 files without inspections, allegedly collecting crores of rupees as bribe.

Money recovered from govt, pvt residences

ACB searches at Chaudhary's government bungalow in Gandhinagar and residence in Surat allegedly led to the recovery of cash totalling Rs 1,76,14,970. Investigators also seized gold biscuits and jewellery worth approximately Rs 88 lakh. The total value of assets, including the cash recovered from his government vehicle, amounted to Rs 2,64,97,880. He was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the huge amount of cash and valuables found in his possession. Subsequently, he was arrested and booked for disproportionate assets.

Chaudhary had only eight months of service left before retirement. Investigators believe the alleged corruption may have been going on for a considerable period.

The ACB is now preparing to scrutinise Chaudhary's entire service record. Officials are expected to examine his previous postings, files cleared during his tenure and any complaints or irregularities linked to his past assignments. The ACB is widening the scope of the investigation to identify the companies that allegedly paid bribes to secure approvals. Officials will examine whether any subordinate staff members, middlemen or private individuals facilitated the alleged corruption. Investigators are expected to question company representatives whose projects received approvals during the period under scrutiny.