Rajkot: After arresting Mahesh Patel and Pratik Rathwa , the junior clerk with Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SNNL) of Dhrangadhra division for accepting Rs 2,000 bribe in Surendranagar on Wednesday, the Rajkot anti-corruption bureau (ACB) and the Surat ACB officials unearthed Rs 46.20lakh cash after raiding three houses of Patel.“We first raided Patel’s rented house in Dhrangadhra and found Rs 3.44 lakh. Then Surat ACB raided his native home in Sarvani village of Chikhali taluka in Navsari district and found Rs 42.45 lakh cash from there,” said H P Doshi, Rajkot deputy superintendent of police. It is suspected that the cash found in Patel’s houses were all collected from bribes over the years.“It was Rathwa who was caught while accepting the bribe money on behalf of Patel. The accused had demanded the bribe from the complainant, an ex-employee of the SNNL, to grant him benefits as per seventh pay commission. Rathwa was caught from mela nu medan locality in Surendranagar,” said C J Sureja, inspector of Rajkot anti-corruption bureau.Investigation also revealed that Patel had 18 policies of different life insurances and 17 bank accounts in different districts. These accounts have been frozen. “The recovery is still going on and the amount may touch Rs 1 crore,” said an ACB official.

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