Jaipur: Rajasthan govt Saturday placed IPS officer Prashakha Mathur on Awaiting Posting Order (APO), a day after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) opened a preliminary inquiry into allegations that her husband, senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal, misused his official position to favour a private company and benefit himself and other members of his family in return.Mathur, a 1995-batch IPS officer, was serving as additional director general of police (ADGP), planning, modernisation and welfare, at police headquarters. Agrawal, a 1993-batch IAS officer, was serving as additional chief secretary, industries, when the state govt placed him on APO Wednesday.Following Saturday’s action against Mathur, the ACB clarified that its ongoing inquiry is currently limited to Agrawal and the allegations that he misused his official position to benefit the hotels and resorts firm Goyal Fashions Pvt Ltd, causing losses to the state exchequer.Although no formal inquiry has been announced against Mathur so far, sources in the ACB said the possibility of the agency expanding the scope of its inquiry to include her could not be ruled out.That is because the bureau’s prima facie findings point to the couple purchasing dozens of villas from Goyal Fashions in Udaipur and Alwar at prices substantially below market value. Several other villas were bought in the names of the couple’s two sons and Agrawal’s in-laws.In return, the IAS officer is alleged to have colluded with the company’s directors and helped it secure undue financial benefits – including relaxations in conditions governing resort construction, approvals without verification and a special concessional financial package.All of this, the ACB argues, caused substantial financial losses to the state.ACB officials said a formal FIR could be registered against Agrawal if the preliminary inquiry substantiates the allegations against him. Sources close to the investigation said that, if warranted, the bureau could also call Mathur in for questioning.As part of the ongoing inquiry, the ACB is understood to be examining a factual report from the industries department concerning Agrawal. Bureau officials, however, declined to comment on the contents of the report or the specific findings being examined.
