By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Vigilance sleuths in Uttarakhand on Friday conducted multiple search operations at the residences and various premises of two IAS officers and 8 other accused in the alleged Rs 54-crore Haridwar Municipal Corporation land scam, days after registering a case against them.
Officials said eight vigilance teams carried out simultaneous raids at multiple locations in Lucknow, Delhi, Haridwar and Dehradun. The objective was to seize documents and other evidence related to the alleged scam and gather information about any other acts of corruption involving the accused.
The searches were conducted at the residences of suspended Haridwar Municipal Commissioner Varun Chaudhary (IAS) and other officials. Raids were also carried out at the premises of land seller Suman Devi and three other accused.
Officials said several important documents were recovered during the searches, which will form the basis for further investigation and legal action.
The case pertains to the alleged purchase of 2.30 hectares of agriculture land near a garbage dump in Sarai village by the Haridwar Municipal Corporation for Rs 54 crore which was more than three-and-a-half times the prevailing market value—after reportedly changing the land use.
The vigilance probe found that the land was neither urgently required nor purchased through a transparent bidding process. Investigators also alleged that government rules governing land acquisition were bypassed.
Following the emergence of the controversy last year, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a vigilance investigation and suspended 10 officials, including then Haridwar District Magistrate Kamendra Singh. Last week, he approved prosecution against all 10 accused. The state government has also recommended the dismissal of Varun Chaudhary from service and major disciplinary action against Kamendra Singh.