NEW DELHI — The Central Bureau of Investigation has launched an inquiry into a retired Navy captain to determine how an officer earning a maximum legitimate salary of Rs 20 lakh a year managed to accumulate Rs 1.92 crore in disproportionate assets without arousing a single suspicion during his active tenure.

The case adds to a long-running tradition of defense sector personnel discovering highly lucrative post-retirement portfolios. "We are deeply concerned that officers are slipping through the cracks," said an agency spokesperson, speaking on behalf of a department that previously booked a retired naval commander in a Rs 8 lakh cheating racket in 2016, and 18 individuals—including four Navy officials—in a Rs 6.76 crore forgery case in 2020. "We take vigilance very seriously, which is why we strictly monitor these individuals the moment they no longer report to work."

Officials confirmed that modalities are being worked out to understand how illicit enrichment continues to be a low-risk, high-reward endeavor across defense public sector undertakings. "It requires extreme financial discipline to quietly save a sum that is nearly ten times your annual salary," noted one investigator, carefully filing the paperwork for a committee reviewing whether the department's active oversight mechanisms should eventually be implemented.