Odisha vigilance department recovers over ₹3 crore cash from additional sub-collector of Nabarangpur district

Odisha vigilance department on June 23, 2023 recoved over ₹3 crore cash from additional sub-collector of Nabarangpur district Prasanta Kumar Rout

Odisha’s vigilance department sleuths found packets of huge cash being thrown from the house of additional sub-collector of Odisha’s Nabarangpur, one of the poorest districts of India, to his neighbour’s roof during raids in Bhubaneswar early on Friday (June 23).

When vigilance directorate officials reached the residence of additional sub-collector Prasanta Kumar Rout in Kanan Vihar, Bhubaneswar for search on the allegation of acquisition of disproportionate assets, they saw his neighbours collecting packets from their roof and rushing inside home. Upon search of neighbour’s house, they came across six neatly packed packets containing wads of ₹500 currency notes.

Simultaneous house searches were being conducted by vigilance sleuths at 9 locations including his parental houses in Bhadrak district.

As the volume of bank-notes was huge, the vigilance department had to take help of the money counting machine.

“Cash of approximately ₹2.25 crores has been recovered from additional sub-collector’s Bhubaneswar residence and ₹77 lakhs from Nabarangpur residence. Counting of cash is going on. Searches are in progress.,” said Y. K. Jethwa, additional director general of police (vigilance).

This was said to be the second biggest cash haul by the State vigilance department. In the past, ₹3.41 crore cash was recovered from one Kartika Roul, an assistant engineer in minor irrigation division, Bhanjanagar.

Last week, the State vigilance department had detected huge assets from Brajendra Kumar Nayak, former Civil Supplies Officer, Nayagarh. His properties were 268% in excess of his known sources of income. Mr. Nayak had constructed five massive residential houses (three triple-storyed and two two-storyed houses) in Bhubaneswar and one market complex in Nimapara of Puri district, besides several land plots.