Srinagar, Sep 22 (IANS) Vigilance sleuths in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday unearthed unaccounted assets worth billions during daylong raids on 15 premises owned by senior officials.

Statewide raids that began here this morning continued till late evening.

According to a statement of the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO): "Fifteen premises owned by seven officers of the Jammu and Kashmir government and a trader were raided today."

"Disproportionate assets worth crores have been unearthed. We have registered cases against the officers for possessing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income," it said.

The officers included six engineers, a senior officer of the state floriculture department and a Jammu-based trader.

"An executive engineer of power department owns a house worth Rs.1.10 million and movable and immovable property worth millions," said a spokesperson of the SVO.

He said another engineer in Jammu owns a house, a three-storied hotel and other property also worth millions. "Two lockers operated by the officer were detected during the searches which have been frozen," he said.

"It will take us a day or two to make the complete list of movable and immovable property."

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has launched an ambitious campaign for accountability in public life by weeding out the corrupt among the administration.

In order to provide more teeth to the anti-corruption SVO, Azad passed a legislation in the assembly early this year empowering the government to attach and auction properties of officials who fall into the state vigilance organisation's net.