Odisha Vigilance Conducts Raids on Joint Director Over Alleged Asset Discrepancies

Vigilance Operations Target High-Ranking Official

Bhubaneswar: On Monday, the Odisha Vigilance team executed coordinated raids at eight different locations across three districts, targeting a joint director-level officer amid an investigation into his suspected disproportionate assets.

The search was initiated following claims that the officer, who previously served as the project director for the Watershed Department in Rayagada, had accumulated wealth exceeding his legitimate income sources.

According to a Vigilance official, the operation involved a significant force, including 10 deputy superintendents of police, eight inspectors, and 10 assistant sub-inspectors, all acting under search warrants issued by the Special Judge for Vigilance in Bhawanipatna.

Raids were conducted in Bhubaneswar, Kalahandi, and Nabarangpur, with findings including two farmhouses, a shopping complex, and an under-construction property in Nabarangpur, along with a flat and a building in Bhubaneswar, and 11 acres of land near Bhawanipatna, as well as bank deposits totaling Rs 55 lakh.

One of the farmhouses in Bijraguda spans 40 acres and is valued at Rs 1 crore, while another in Phatakote covers 6 acres and is worth Rs 34 lakh.

Earlier this year, on May 22, the Anti-corruption Department apprehended four officials from the Watershed Department in Rayagada for allegedly misappropriating Rs 20 lakh of government funds intended for the excavation of 23 ponds under the MGNREGA scheme, which placed the former project director under scrutiny.