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BMW X7 among cars, bikes seized from Odisha cop in vigilance raid
All the vehicles seized bear the same fancy registration number 0005. The seizure comes in the wake of similar seizures from police officials in Odisha in the last 4-5 months.
BHUBANESWAR: A fleet of cars and bikes with the same fancy registration number were seized from the possession of a 58-year-old senior police officer in Odisha in a raid after allegations that he had assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, said vigilance officials.
The vigilance officials said they seized BMW X7 car, Hyundai Creta car (worth ₹17 lakh), Maruti Baleno, Chevrolet Trailblazer LTZ car and GTR 250 Hyosung bike worth, Triumph Rocket 3 2020 and Royal Enfield Classic 500 ABS from the possession of additional superintendent of police(communication) Trinath Mishra.
All the vehicles bear the same fancy registration number 0005.
The Odisha Vigilance sleuths found several cars and superbikes registered in the name of additional superintendent of police Trinath Mishra and his family members during searches at his multiple premises in the state on Tuesday.
Mishra, who is posted as additional superintendent of police, communication, in Cuttack, is presently under the scanner of the anti-corruption agency for allegedly acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
During searches at the multiple premises, the vigilance sleuths found the involvement of Mishra’s son and his family members in several business enterprises including a hospital and a nursing home in Chandikhole in Jajpur district and a medicine store licensed in the name of Mishra’s wife. A transport business in the name of Shantilata Transport with its offices located at Chandikhole and Dhanmandal, Jajpur, was also found in the name of Mishra’s wife.
Apart from this, a 3-BHK (bedroom, hall and kitchen) flat in Bhubaneswar, a farmhouse in Jajpur district and 3 plots in Bhubaneswar and Jajpur were also found during the raid.
The valuation of the high-end medical equipment at the nursing home is being carried out with the help of technical and medical experts.
The seizure of the assets of the senior cop comes in the wake of similar seizures from police officials in the last 4-5 months. In November, vigilance sleuths seized currency notes worth ₹38 lakh from a deputy manager of Odisha State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation Limited while he was trying to dump part of it in a carton to his neighbour’s roof during the raid. Pratap Kumar Samal, deputy manager of the OSPHWC, the government body that constructs residential and non-residential buildings of police personnel, was throwing ₹20 lakh currency notes kept in a carton to his neighbour’s roof in Bhubaneswar’s IRC village when the vigilance officials caught him red-handed. Another ₹18 lakh cash was recovered from his residence.
In October last year, a constable of the Odisha police was arrested by vigilance officials after a 18000 square ft furniture showroom in the city worth over ₹4 crore, a plot of land worth ₹45 lakh in Khordha, a flat in the name of his wife worth ₹24 lakh in Bhubaneswar, insurance deposits over ₹50 lakh in his and his family members names, four 4-wheelers worth ₹31 lakh and 3 two-wheelers including Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycles worth ₹2.2 lakh was found from his possession. Constable Prasanna Behera was also found to have converted his modest government quarter in Bhubaneswar into a lavish bungalow by unauthorised construction of 8 new rooms including 3 bedrooms and 5 other rooms including separate drawing, dining, kitchen, puja room and bathrooms.
The state government, meanwhile, handed out compulsory retirement to 5 state government officials who have been found to be amassing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. The government in the last 1 year has compulsorily retired or dismissed 151 state government officials on corruption charges.
