PESO clerk’s assets swell by ₹84L in 5 years, CBI books DA case | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: The CBI has booked a senior clerk of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) in a disproportionate assets case, alleging that he accumulated assets worth ₹84.2 lakh beyond his known sources of income during a five-and-a-half-year check period.The CBI’s anti-corruption branch, Visakhapatnam, registered an FIR on Sept 30 against Raju Satyanand Thouti, an upper division clerk in the office of the deputy chief controller of explosives, Visakhapatnam. The check period is from Oct 1, 2020, to April 16, 2026.According to the FIR, Thouti and his family had assets worth ₹15 lakh at the start of the period. By April 16, 2026, these had risen to ₹1.1 crore, indicating acquisition of assets worth ₹96.2 lakh.The CBI assessed the family’s income from known sources at ₹1 crore and expenditure at ₹89.6 lakh, leaving likely savings of around ₹12 lakh. After adjusting the savings against the assets acquired, the agency calculated alleged disproportionate assets at ₹84.2 lakh, or 82% of income from known sources.Among the assets under scrutiny is a flat at Narasimha Gardens, Visakhapatnam, registered in Thouti’s name for ₹55.5 lakh. The CBI said an unregistered agreement showed the total consideration as ₹79 lakh. Other assets include gold ornaments valued at ₹12.2 lakh, fixed deposits, bank balances and household articles found during searches on April 16.Thouti joined PESO as an LDC in Mumbai in 1996 and was promoted as UDC in 2008. He was transferred to Visakhapatnam in 2016. His wife, Kummarikunta Anuradha, is a homemaker, while their daughters are software engineers in Hyderabad.The case was registered by CBI ACB Visakhapatnam DIG Murali Rambha. Deputy SP N Raghavendra Kumar is investigating the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.