Hyderabad HMWS&SB official sent to 14-day judicial custody in DA case
Synopsis
A senior HMWS&SB engineer in Hyderabad has been sent to 14-day judicial custody after the ACB uncovered assets worth over ₹5.88 crore — including ₹1.10 crore cash, 2.1 kg gold, 18 acres of farmland, and multiple urban properties. The ACB warns the real market value could be far higher, and further asset verification is ongoing.
Key Takeaways
Laxmi Kumar , General Manager (Engineering), HMWS&SB , was sent to 14-day judicial custody by an ACB court in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
The ACB arrested him on Tuesday after searches on 1 May at nine locations linked to him.
Assets worth ₹5,88,55,490 were documented, including ₹1.10 crore cash, 2.1 kg gold, and 18 acres of agricultural land in Nizamabad and Sangareddy.
He was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended 2018); shifted to Chanchalguda Central Prison .
The ACB noted the market value of recovered assets could be many times higher than documented figures; further verification is underway.
A top official of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) was sent to 14-day judicial custody by an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Hyderabad on Wednesday in a Disproportionate Assets (DA) case. The ACB had arrested S.A. Laxmi Kumar on Tuesday after searches at multiple premises linked to him uncovered assets worth over ₹5.88 crore allegedly disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Who Is the Accused
S.A. Laxmi Kumar serves as General Manager (Engineering), Project Division-VIII, Red Hills, at the HMWS&SB. According to the ACB, he allegedly accumulated assets through corrupt practices and dubious means during his service tenure. Following the court's remand order, he was shifted to Chanchalguda Central Prison.
What the Searches Uncovered
The ACB conducted simultaneous searches on 1 May at nine locations — including Laxmi Kumar's residence at Mallapur and eight other premises linked to his relatives, friends, benamis, and associates. Officials were seen counting cash and sealing gold ornaments, silver items, and property documents during the operation.
Among the assets recovered were documents relating to 18 acres of agricultural land in Nizamabad and Sangareddy, six open plots, three flats, and one house in Hyderabad. Investigators also found net cash of ₹1.10 crore, gold ornaments weighing 2.1 kg, silver articles weighing 9.2 kg, one Maruti Ritz car, and one Bajaj motorbike. The total documented value of all movable and immovable assets stands at ₹5,88,55,490.
Notably, the ACB stated in its release that 'the market value of movable and immovable property may be many times higher than the document value' — signalling that the actual scale of alleged accumulation could be significantly larger.
Legal Provisions Invoked
The case has been registered under Section 13(1)(b) and Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018. These provisions deal with criminal misconduct by public servants and carry substantial penalties upon conviction.
Investigation Status
The ACB confirmed that verification of additional assets is currently underway and the case remains under active investigation. This comes amid a broader crackdown by Telangana's anti-graft machinery on public servants in infrastructure and utilities sectors, where procurement and contracting decisions have historically drawn scrutiny.
Point of View
But for what it signals about systemic rot in infrastructure contracting. Project divisions in urban water boards control substantial procurement budgets, and a single officer accumulating nearly ₹6 crore — with the ACB itself flagging that real market values could be far higher — suggests the problem is structural, not incidental. Telangana's ACB has been more active in recent months, but the real test is whether prosecutions reach conviction, not just custody. Past DA cases in the state have stalled at the trial stage for years.
NationPress
11 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is S.A. Laxmi Kumar and why was he arrested?
S.A. Laxmi Kumar is the General Manager (Engineering), Project Division-VIII, Red Hills, at the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB). He was arrested by the ACB on Tuesday after searches uncovered assets worth over ₹5.88 crore allegedly disproportionate to his known sources of income.
What assets were recovered during the ACB searches?
Searches at nine locations on 1 May yielded ₹1.10 crore in cash, gold ornaments weighing 2.1 kg, silver articles weighing 9.2 kg, documents for 18 acres of agricultural land in Nizamabad and Sangareddy, six open plots, three flats, one house in Hyderabad, a Maruti Ritz car, and a Bajaj motorbike — totalling ₹5,88,55,490 in documented value.
Under which law has the case been registered?
The case is registered under Section 13(1)(b) and Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, which deal with criminal misconduct by public servants.
Where has Laxmi Kumar been sent after the court's order?
Following the ACB court's remand order for 14 days of judicial custody, Laxmi Kumar was shifted to Chanchalguda Central Prison in Hyderabad.
Is the investigation complete?
No. The ACB has confirmed that verification of additional assets is still underway and the case remains under active investigation. The agency has also noted that the market value of recovered properties could be significantly higher than the documented figure of ₹5.88 crore.
