ACB Tightens Grip on IAS-IPS Couple in High-Profile Udaipur Land Probe

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Rajasthan has significantly accelerated its probe into the acquisition of approximately 40 luxury villas and cottages linked to senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shikhar Agarwal, his Indian Police Service (IPS) wife Prashakha Mathur, and extended family members. Intensifying its field inquiry in Udaipur, the anti-graft watchdog has formally served administrative notices to the Udaipur District Collectorate and the local Sub-Registrar's Office, demanding the immediate handover of official land conversion dossiers, property title deeds, and registry records. Forensic investigators are scrutinizing the procedural integrity of statutory approvals, land-use modifications, and high-level administrative clearances granted during the developmental phase of these high-value real estate projects across Udaipur and Alwar.Preliminary Inquiry Registered: Allegations of Below-Market Purchases and Quid Pro QuoThe active investigation follows formal sanction from the Rajasthan state government, prompting the ACB to register a preliminary inquiry against Shikhar Agarwal on October 31. According to the investigative framework, the primary allegations center on the procurement of dozens of upscale holiday villas and cottages from a private infrastructure and development entity at heavily discounted, below-market rates. Sleuths are actively tracing whether official executive influence, administrative discretionary powers, and institutional decisions were abused to deliver undue commercial advantages and preferential clearances to the private real estate firm in a reciprocal exchange for discounted real estate assets.Multi-Agency Net Widens: PWD, Forest Dept, Pollution Board, and Private Builder Under ScannerTo piece together the financial and structural blueprint of the acquisitions, the ACB has launched a coordinated document audit across several municipal, state, and fiscal agencies. Investigators have summoned Agarwal's comprehensive asset returns from the Department of Personnel, while simultaneously requisitioning detailed annual Income Tax Returns (ITR) directly from the Income Tax Department to cross-match legal declared incomes against substantial property acquisitions and offshore or domestic capital outlays. Concurrently, technical engineering details regarding on-ground villa construction have been sought from the Public Works Department (PWD), alongside corporate meeting records and investment clearances from the Industries Department. The probe has also drawn in statutory environmental bodies, with directives dispatched to the Forest Department and the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) to detect potential zoning and conservation breaches, while a statutory notice has been served to Sanjay Goyal, Managing Director of the involved real estate firm, mandating the submission of corporate sales ledgers.Summons Loom for Interrogation: IAS Officer and IPS Wife Face Formal DepositionWith documentary evidence rapidly compiling across Udaipur and Alwar registries, the Anti-Corruption Bureau is finalizing procedural paperwork to serve formal summons for personal interrogation to IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal. His spouse, IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, along with other named family associates, also remains under active scrutiny in the ongoing proceedings. Anti-graft officials have confirmed that the structured interrogation timetable will be scheduled to match official availability, setting the stage for direct confrontation between bureaucratic decision-makers and the recovered land conversion files.