AHMEDABAD: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered cases of possessing disproportionate assets (DA) against 29 employees of the Gujarat government in the last 11 months, as per an official release.

Among these employees, three are class-1 officers, eight class-2 officers, while the rest 18 are class-3 employees, it said on Monday.

The cumulative market value of the alleged DA, including land and residential properties, is estimated at Rs 40.47 crore, the ACB said, adding that it has launched a special drive to unearth benami and ill-gotten properties.

Eight of the accused were earlier employed with now-defunct Gujarat Land Development Corporation, the release said.

Other accused were attached with departments of Urban Development, Revenue, Panchayat, Irrigation, PWD, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Police, Education, Forest and Environment, Health, and Mines and Minerals, it said.

They were booked under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and under the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, the release said.

Meanwhile, the ACB on Monday booked one Kalubhai Ram, a retired class-3 engineer of state Irrigation department, for allegedly possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs 1.38 crore, which are 97.71 per cent more than his known sources of income.

Ram, who retired a few years back, had deposited Rs 22 lakh in his bank accounts during his service between 2005 and 2013, said the release.