TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Sleuths of the Anti Corruption Bureau descended on the Naqueri-Betul residence of former IDC Chairman and Quepem Congress MLA Babu Kavlekar on Wednesday morning in connection with the ongoing probe into the disproportionate assets case.
The ACB team headed by DySP Bossuet D’Silva landed at Kavlekar’s residence in the morning and was accompanied by a PWD engineer. Though the MLA denied that the police conducted any raid on his house, sources said the ACB sleuths apparently came with the PWD engineer to carry out valuation of the MLA’s posh bungalow. The valuation, however, could not take place for want of construction plans and other documents.
The MLA is reported to have told the ACB team that he has no plans with him at the moment, claiming that the house was constructed around a decade ago. Sources said the Quepem MLA had started construction work on the bungalow around 2003 two years before he took over the reigns of the Goa Industrial Corporation.
Sources in the ACB said the Quepem MLA is being investigated in the disproportionate assets case and had in the past visited his factory for verification of his claims made during interrogations.
The ACB is investigating into reports that the MLA had allegedly purchased 15-20 properties. The Quepem MLA had served three terms as IDC Chairman for around six and half years, beginning with a one-month term in 2005.
When contacted by Herald, Kavlekar declined to comment, saying he has been cooperating with the ACB in the case since last year. “I have nothing to say. I have been cooperating with the ACB. May be they had come to verify my claims made before the investigating agency during interrogations”, he said. But later the MLA denied ACB had raided his house at Quepem. “It was just a routine visit by ACB officials to verify whether the things/properties existed as per the documents submitted to them by me and nothing more than that,” he maintained.
