Andhra ACB once again grills suspended official in Disproportionate Assets case

Vijayawada: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Andhra Pradesh is once again questioning a suspended Assistant Commissioner in the Endowments Department in a Disproportionate Assets case.

The ACB officials on Friday took Kalingiri Shanti into custody from Vijayawada district jail and took her to Vijayawada Government General Hospital for medical examination. They later began questioning her.

The ACB court had Thursday sent Shanti to police custody for two days.

This is the second time that the court had sent her to police custody. Earlier, the court had allowed questioning of Kalingiri Shanti on April 15 and 16.

However, the anti-graft agency told the court that she did not cooperate during the investigation and sought her custody once again

Shanti, arrested on April 7 after simultaneous raids at premises linked to her, is currently lodged in Vijayawada district jail. She filed a petition seeking permission to meet her two-and-a-half-year-old son. After hearing arguments, the court posted the matter for orders on April 16.

During the raids on April 7, the ACB found that she had amassed assets worth Rs 1.37 crore, disproportionate to her known sources of income. Officials conducted searches for 10 hours in different locations, including Tadepalli, Undavalli, and Visakhapatnam.

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They seized incriminating documents and unearthed assets including a residential flat in Visakhapatnam, a G+2 building at Kunchanapalli, 776 grams of gold ornaments, nearly 3 kg of silver articles, cash worth Rs 1.15 lakh, bank balances of about Rs 3 lakh, a car, a motorcycle, and electronic gadgets.

Following the searches, the ACB registered a Disproportionate Assets case against the Assistant Commissioner under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The same day, the ACB court sent her to judicial custody till April 21. Later, her custody was further extended.

Following the arrest, the government suspended her. This is the second time Shanti has been suspended in two years.

She was appointed as Assistant Commissioner in the Endowments Department through the Andhra Pradesh State Public Service Commission in 2020, and worked in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

After the TDP-led coalition government came to power in 2024, Shanti was suspended over allegations of irregularities. She remained under suspension from July 2024 to March 2026. The suspension was lifted last month, and she was awaiting a posting.