The Vigilance Department officials in Odisha on Wednesday unearthed properties worth over crores of rupees during searches at different places related to a senior official of state Public Health department here, which were disproportionate against his known sources of income.
The official, Biswabandhu Panigrahi works as the Superintending Engineer in the office of Engineer-in-Chief, PH Division, Bhubaneswar.
The anti-corruption sleuths have so far found Panigrahi in possession of one two-storey building at VSS Nagar in Bhubaneswar, a single-storey building in Bhadrak, four plots in a prime area of Bhubaneswar and Bhadrak, deposits in bank accounts and insurance policies worth over Rs 2.06 crore, Rs 2,16,350 in cash, gold jewellery weighing approx 421 gm including 269 gm gold, one 4-wheeler and four 2-wheelers and household articles worth Rs 13 lakh.
Vigilance sources said the plots owned by Panigrahi has been officially valued at Rs 70 lakh as per the registered sale deed.
However, the actual value is likely to be much higher.
“Undervaluation of the plots during registration is suspected. A thorough probe has been initiated in this regard. This apart, an agreement was made with a real estate firm and an advance of Rs 39 lakh has been paid by Panigrahi to purchase a 3-BHK flat in the name of his spouse at Rudrapur, Bhubaneswar,” a source said.
Earlier, six teams of the Vigilance Department comprising seven DSPs, five Inspectors, eight ASIs and other staff conducted searches at different locations related to Panigrahi in Bhubaneswar and Bhadrak districts.
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