- By Shubham Bajpai
- Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:34 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) laid a trap and caught a Class-1 officer at the state Energy Department red-handed while he was taking a bribe of Rs 5 lakh. The accused AB Chaudhary is serving as Chief Electrical Inspector at the Office of the Electrical Inspector, part of the Gujarat Government's Energy Department in Gandhinagar
During the subsequent investigation, ACB also raided the accused officer's residence and uncovered undisclosed assets and cash worth crores.
According to ACB Director Bharti Pandya, Ashwin B Chaudhary, who works at the Udyog Bhavan office in Gandhinagar, had demanded a substantial sum from an applicant in exchange for granting approval and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for installing solar panels.
The applicant lodged a complaint regarding the demand, and the ACB team set up a trap, leading to his arrest.
Rs 1.76 crore in cash and assets worth Rs 2.64 crore were seized
During the preliminary investigation, cash amounting to Rs 5.51 lakh and gift vouchers were recovered from the accused officer's Swift car. Following his arrest, the ACB team conducted search operations at his residences in Gandhinagar and Surat based on a specific tip-off.
During these raids, cash totalling Rs 1.76 crore, along with gold and silver bars, jewellery, and coins valued at approximately Rs 88.82 lakh, were recovered from his home.
Consequently, assets worth a total of Rs 2.64 crore have been seized from the officer across the investigations conducted in Surat and Gandhinagar.
The accused officer resides with his wife and two children. Furthermore, it was revealed that he occupies a government-allotted residence in Gandhinagar and owns a private home in the Shilpa Residency complex in Surat.
NOCs issued without detailed scrutiny
According to ACB Director Bharti Pandya, the accused officer, Chaudhary, routinely flouted regulations pertaining to solar projects. He would hastily issue NOCs without properly studying the project maps or conducting the mandatory on-site inspections. The investigation also revealed that this officer had cleared approximately 100 files related to solar panels in just one week.
ACB investigation and action against accused
An FIR has been lodged in the matter by an ACB officer, acting as the complainant on behalf of the government.
The accused officer's bank accounts, lockers, and properties will be scrutinised. Additionally, an inquiry has been initiated to determine whether any other staff members or individuals are involved in this entire scam.