Rs 2 crore cash, palatial buildings and 14 plots: Odisha Vigilance unearths massive wealth from ITDA engineer who started job with 6000 Rs salary

(Images via Odisha Vigilance)

On Saturday (6th June), the Odisha State Vigilance found more than Rs 2 crore stashed in the bank locker of an assistant executive engineer in the Tribal Development Department, Baikuntha Nath Behera, posted in the Kandhamal district’s Baliguda.

During a Vigilance Department raid at Behera’s premises, the anti-corruption officials found five multi-storey buildings owned by Behera in Bhubaneshwar. These included a four-storey building in Niladri Vihar, a three-storey house in Sailashree Vihar, a two-storey house in Patia and a two-storey house in the Chandrasekharpur area of Bhubaneswar. He also owns a two-storey house at Dharmasala in Jajpur.

These palatial buildings are reported to be constructed over a combined 17,000 sq ft area. Moreover, the ITDA (Integrated Tribal Development Authority) engineer owns 14 plots; of these, eight are in Bhubaneswar, five are in Jajpur, and one is in Baripada.

Currently posted at the Baliguda ITDA office, Baikuntha Nath Behera joined the government service in August 1999 as a junior engineer (JE). His initial salary was Rs 6,000.

The Vigilance officials conducted raids at Behera’s premises in Bhubaneswar, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and Kandhamal to investigate his disproportionate assets. Reports have stated that the raids are still ongoing on June 8, and more lockers have been found.

In addition to various Behera’s palatial buildings, the investigators also traced gold ornaments in several lockers, and residences and deposits to the tune of Rs 45 lakh. The Vigilance officials also confiscated Rs 2 crore cash from Behera’s bank lockers and Rs 2 lakh from his Patia residence. The ornaments are in total over 1.25 kgs, as per reports.

In an X post, Odisha Vigilance Department informed about the raids and wrote, “2  Crore cash stashed in Bank lockers, 5 Multi-Storey bldgs (4 in #Bhubaneswar) (17850 Sqft),13 Plots (7 in BBSR), etc. unearthed so far during searches on Sri Baikuntha Nath Behera, Asst Executive Engr, #ITDA, Baliguda, #Kandhamal. He joined service in 1999 as JE @ Rs 6000/- pm.”

Behera has been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The investigators have detained him for questioning.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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