₹1.39cr cash, 1.2kg gold seized from official posted in backward district

Malkangiri district in Odisha, where the government official was posted in the rural development department, was among India’s most backward tribal districts

Published on: Mar 28, 2022, 18:47:01 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha vigilance officials on Monday allegedly seized ₹1.39 crore in cash from an engineer posted in the state’s rural development department in Malkangiri, counted among Odisha’s most backward districts, people familiar with the matter said.

Odisha vigilance officials said they have seized a record ₹1.39 crore in cash from superintending engineer Ashis Kumar Das’s apartment in Cuttack. He was posted in Malkangiri (Odisha Vigilance)

Director of vigilance, Yashwant Jethwa said officials found ₹1.39 crore in ₹500 and ₹2,000 currency notes, gold jewellery, coins and biscuits weighing 1.2kilogram, and bank and insurance deposits of over ₹4 crore from the residence of superintending engineer Ashis Kumar Das. The currency notes were stacked in almirahs in his apartment in Trisulia, Cuttack.

“So far, we have managed to find 12 bank accounts in the name of his family members, relatives and associates. In Axis Bank alone, he has ₹2.25 crore deposits. We suspect there are more accounts where he has kept his ill-gotten money,” said the vigilance director. Officials said they are yet to scrutinise Ashis Kumar Das’s two bank accounts in Keonjhar and Gunupur districts.

Vigilance officials said Das was suspected of corruption for some time. The decision to raid him came after he recently took an autorickshaw to a bank. “An officer who has access to government vehicles riding an autorickshaw to deposit money in a bank raised suspicions…. This led to our raid on his premises,” one of them said, adding that inquiries revealed that he deposited ₹10 lakh cash in his account on the day he took the rickshaw.

Das joined government service in 1994.

Officials said they may arrest him on Tuesday once the sleuths complete the assessment of his assets.

The seizure of ₹1.39 crore cash has been described as a record for the state by vigilance officials.

Vigilance officials in Odisha have seized cash over ₹1 crore on two occasions.

Last month, Sukant Jena, a gynaecologist posted in a Community Health Centre in Nimapara in Puri district, had the dubious distinction of possessing ₹1.12 crore in cash at his home when he was raided. Jena was arrested by vigilance while taking a bribe of ₹8000 from his cousin for doing a caesarian operation.

In February 2016, more than ₹1 crore in cash was seized from Athagarh divisional forest officer Sudhansu Mishra.

This year, Odisha vigilance registered 62 cases in which 43 officials have been arrested for corrupt practices. Of these, 14 are Class 1 officers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.