Income tax officials and Madhya Pradesh Police have seized 52 kg of gold, valued at over Rs 40 crore, along with Rs 10 crore in cash from an abandoned car in the Mendori forest area of Bhopal. The recovery was made as part of ongoing raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Lokayukta, and the Income Tax (IT) department targeting real estate businesses. It is being said that the raid is linked to former RTO constable Saurabh Sharma and his associate, Chandan Singh Gaur.

The car was discovered abandoned on the Mendori-Kushalpur road, within the Ratibad police station area in Bhopal. After receiving the information, authorities quickly reached the location, seized the cash, and began investigating the incident.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP, Bhopal Zone-1), Priyanka Shukla said "On Thursday night, we received information about an abandoned car near the Mendori-Kushalpur road under the Ratibad police station limits. Acting on this, the police arrived at the spot and discovered around seven to eight bags inside the car. It was suspected that, due to the recent raids by the Income Tax and other departments, someone may have left their property there.”

She further added, “On inspecting the bags, approximately 52 kg of gold, valued at around Rs 40 crores, and nearly Rs 9.86 crores in cash were recovered. The IT department is taking further action.”

The officer also said that the vehicle was registered with the number plate MP 07 (Gwalior RTO) in the name of Chetan Singh.The recovery is connected to the Lokayukta's raid on former RTO constable Saurabh Sharma and his associate, Chandan Singh Gaur.

According to the reports of Times of India, the Lokayukta's Special Police Establishment (SPE) raided the homes of Sharma and Gaur, recovering Rs 2.5 crore in cash, along with gold, silver jewellery, and property documents from Sharma's residence in Arera Colony. The total value of these assets is estimated to exceed Rs 3 crore.

Sharma and Gaur have been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with ADG Lokayukta Jaideep Prasad stating that the investigation is still underway. Authorities suspect that the gold and cash seized from the abandoned vehicle are connected to the illicit wealth of the two individuals.