The Anti-Corruption Bureau has launched a preliminary inquiry into senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal and his IPS officer wife, Prashakha Mathur, following allegations surrounding the purchase of 40 luxury villas across Udaipur and Alwar in Rajasthan. The inquiry centers on allegations that the properties were acquired in the names of Agrawal, his wife, and other family members at rates significantly lower than prevailing market values. In return, official authority was allegedly misused during Agrawal’s tenure as Additional Chief Secretary in the Industries Department to extend government benefits to the hospitality firm developing the properties. State authorities approved the inquiry on Friday, days after Agrawal was placed on Awaiting Posting Orders. Investigators are now scrutinizing departmental decisions, approval workflows, and property registrations to identify any potential financial quid pro quo.
Forty resort properties acquired at below market rates
The preliminary inquiry focuses on property acquisitions made in March 2026 at the Ananta Resort in Bujhda, Udaipur, and a corresponding property in Ajabgarh, Alwar district. The findings suggest that Shikhar Agrawal and Prashakha Mathur purchased 10 villas each in Udaipur at a declared price of ₹15 lakh per unit, taking their combined total to 20 units. In the Alwar project, eight villas were reportedly secured at ₹16.5 lakh each. The couple’s two sons allegedly acquired another four units at approximately ₹15 lakh per villa, while four more villas were registered in the names of other close relatives at around ₹16.5 lakh each. In total, 40 properties purchased across both locations are currently under scrutiny as the agency assesses their real valuation against market benchmarks to determine whether substantial underpricing took place.
Concessions granted to resort operating company
The investigation also focuses on Goyal Fashions Private Limited, the hospitality company that owns and operates properties under the Ananta brand. ACB sleuths suspect that official decisions were steered in favor of the firm’s directors in exchange for discounted real estate. Preliminary findings point to relaxed guidelines regarding resort construction, departmental approvals issued without the mandatory verification of regulatory certificates, and the sanction of a concessional financial package. The bureau suspects these concessions resulted in clear financial gains for the private firm while causing significant revenue loss to the state exchequer. The agency is actively probing the direct connection between government relaxations and the property registrations completed by the family.
Package approval coincides with property registrations
A critical timeline under examination relates to March 27, 2026, when Agrawal registered the purchase of 20 villas. Official records reveal that on the very same date, the Finance Department issued a special concessional financial package worth approximately ₹115 crore to Goyal Fashions Private Limited. The synchronization of these two actions has become central to the ongoing probe. Investigators are establishing the exact procedural trail of the approval, the governing conditions attached to the ₹115 crore package, and the specific role of departmental officials who cleared the benefits. While the matter remains at the preliminary inquiry stage and findings are subject to evidentiary verification, the bureau is examining all sales deeds, valuation certificates, and internal government files to determine if criminal misconduct took place.
