Jaipur, Oct 31 (IANS) Rajasthan government on Saturday has placed IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, wife of senior IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal, on APO (Awaiting Posting Orders) status in connection with the controversy surrounding the purchase of 40 villas from a single company.
The Department of Personnel has issued the orders. The development comes a day after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) initiated a preliminary enquiry (PE) against Shikhar Agarwal in the same matter.
The ACB has begun investigating allegations of misuse of official position and extending undue benefits to a private company.
On the night of October 29, the Rajasthan government had removed Agarwal from all his positions and placed him on APO status. Now, his wife, IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, has also been removed from her post.
Prashakha Mathur was serving as Additional Director General (ADG), Planning, Modernisation and Welfare.
She had assumed the position on October 24, 2025. According to information emerging in the case, some of the villas purchased from the same company involved in the transactions by Shikhar Agarwal were registered in Mathur’s name.
While certain properties were reportedly disclosed in her annual property returns, the villa purchased in Alwar is stated to be missing from her Immovable Property Return (IPR). With the ACB already investigating the transactions involving Agarwal, Mathur may also face scrutiny.
The bureau may question her as part of its investigation into alleged conflicts of interest, misuse of official position and property transactions, said official sources.
Prashakha Mathur is a 1995-batch IPS officer from Ajmer. After completing her MBBS, she joined the civil services. During her career, she served as Superintendent of Police (SP) in Jodhpur Rural, Banswara and Pali, among other assignments. She also served on deputation with the Central Government in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), where she held the positions of Additional Deputy Director and Deputy Director between 2009 and 2014.
According to details emerging in the investigation, Shikhar Agarwal and his wife purchased 10 villas each at Bujhda Resort in Udaipur, reportedly at a price of Rs 15 lakh per villa.
At Ananta Resort in Ajabgarh, Alwar, eight villas were allegedly purchased in the names of Agarwal and his wife at Rs 16.5 lakh each. Four additional villas were registered in the names of their two sons at approximately Rs 15 lakh each, while another four were purchased in the names of his parents-in-law at around Rs 16.5 lakh each. The properties were allegedly acquired at prices substantially below their prevailing market value.
Confidential sources indicate that the Finance Department issued a special concessional economic package to a private company, Goyal Fashions Private Limited, on March 27.
On the same day, registration of 20 villas in the name of Shikhar Agarwal was reportedly completed. According to preliminary findings, Agarwal allegedly conspired with the directors of the private company during his tenure, extending undue benefits to the firm and causing substantial financial loss to the state government.
The preliminary enquiry has also highlighted the need for a detailed investigation into allegations of assets disproportionate to known sources of income, including properties allegedly acquired in the names of Agarwal and his family members.
The ACB investigation is expected to examine financial transactions, property registrations, alleged benefits extended to the company, and the role of the individuals concerned, officials said.
–IANS
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