Bhopal: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted early morning raids on Friday at the homes of former RTO constable Saurabh Sharma and his associate, builder Rohit Tiwari. Searches took place at Sharma’s residence in Gwalior and Tiwari’s property in Shastri Nagar, Jabalpur.
This operation is part of an ongoing investigation linked to the recent discovery of 52 kilograms of gold bricks, silver, and ₹11 crore in cash from an abandoned vehicle in Bhopal the previous week. ED officials, with support from CRPF personnel, secured Tiwari’s residence during the raids. Family members of Tiwari are currently being interrogated as part of the investigation.
The Income Tax Department is looking into Sharma’s cash transactions and any investments he has made in property. Reports indicate that Rohit Tiwari is related to Saurabh Sharma, who allegedly invested considerable sums into Tiwari’s construction firm, Omega Realcon Pvt Ltd.
Earlier, multiple agencies, including the Income Tax Department and the Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta, conducted searches at Sharma’s premises in Bhopal and those of his associates. Notably, Sharma had left for Dubai prior to these raids. The abandoned vehicle containing the cash and gold was discovered on December 19.
The IT department found the vehicle in Mendori village as part of their investigations. The significant quantity of gold bars, suspected to have been smuggled from Dubai or Switzerland, has raised serious concerns. Officials are also investigating whether the gold was converted from jewelry and are tracing the financial connections linked to Sharma, including cash transactions and property investments.
On Thursday, the Bhopal District Court denied Saurabh Sharma’s anticipatory bail petition. His lawyer argued that Sharma, being a non-public servant, should not fall under Lokayukta’s jurisdiction and has no ties to the seized assets. However, the court rejected these claims without granting interim relief.
Sources indicated that a diary found during the investigation lists names of bureaucrats and influential persons associated with Sharma’s operations. Authorities are broadening the investigation to uncover the full extent of the network and track the origins of the smuggled gold.