| ACB uncovers massive wealth acquired by CAPD millionaire Chowkidar | | Investigation leads to palatial homes, foreign trips, trail of assets | | 
Early Times Report
Jammu, May 1: An investigation by the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has uncovered massive wealth allegedly amassed by a night chowkidar of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department, raising serious concerns about corruption within lower ranks of the public service.
The accused, Shahilal Showkat Ali, currently posted at the Tehsil Supply Office (TSO) in Banihal, was found to own multiple bank accounts, several luxury vehicles, and palatial houses. He is also reported to have travelled abroad multiple times, raising red flags about the sources of his income.
Following the registration of a case under FIR No. 01/2025 U/S 13(1)(b) r/w 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), the ACB launched a detailed verification. The probe revealed that the accused had accumulated a lavish double-storey residence in Israrabad, Sidhra (Jammu), another similar house in Banihal, multiple land holdings at various locations, and substantial unexplained financial assets.
Search warrants, obtained from the competent court, led to simultaneous raids at his properties in Jammu and Banihal. The searches, conducted in the presence of Magistrates and independent witnesses, resulted in the recovery of 16 cheque books and five bank passbooks linked to various accounts, property documents, foreign currency, a passport with records of overseas travel, and three official rubber stamps — including those allegedly belonging to senior CAPD officers such as the Assistant Director, Ramban, and the TSO, Banihal.
The case was initiated after a discreet verification into allegations that Ali had acquired assets vastly disproportionate to his known sources of income, many of them in the names of his family members.
Further investigation is underway. |
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