Kerala’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) seized ₹14.10 lakh in cash and $788 during searches at premises linked to State GST Joint Commissioner Prajani Rajan on September 26. The searches were carried out in connection with a case alleging that she acquired assets disproportionate to her known sources of income.
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Three locations searched
Vigilance teams searched Rajan’s office at the GST Joint Commissionerate in Thevara and two residential properties in Pachalam, Kochi. The operation, conducted under Project Zero, began at 7:45 am and ended at 9:15 pm. Officers reported recovering the cash and US currency from her Pachalam residence.
The searches were led by Deputy Superintendent of Police A.L. Yesudas under the supervision of Ernakulam Special Cell Superintendent of Police M.J. Sojan. Investigators also collected documents that are expected to be produced, along with the seized currency, before the Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court.
What the assets inquiry found
According to the VACB, a preliminary inquiry indicated that Rajan allegedly acquired assets worth about ₹2.89 crore beyond her known sources of income between 2014 and 2024. A case was registered on the basis of those preliminary findings, and the searches form part of the continuing investigation.
The ₹2.89 crore figure is the alleged disproportionate assets amount identified in the preliminary inquiry. It is separate from the ₹14.10 lakh cash and $788 reported seized during the searches. The inquiry’s findings and the source of the recovered money remain matters for investigation; the seizures do not, by themselves, establish guilt.
Rajan had also come under Vigilance scrutiny following allegations concerning irregularities in GST filings by some bars in Kochi. The reported searches, however, were conducted in the disproportionate assets case.
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