Two Odisha govt officials arrested in corruption cases

Two Odisha government officials were arrested on Saturday in corruption cases, the Vigilance Department said.

Additional director in the Directorate of Mines Umesh Chandra Jena was arrested after assets disproportionate to the known sources of his income were allegedly found during searches, it said.

A total of Rs 1.64 crore in cash, 650 gram of gold jewellery, a multi-storied building in Bhubaneswar, three buildings and five plots in Keonjhar, two four-wheelers and two motorcycles, among others, were found, it added.

Additional chief engineer of Minor Irrigation in Bhwanipatna Kandarpa Pradhan was arrested after assets disproportionate to the known sources of his income were found in a search that went on for nearly 24 hours across eight places in Khurda, Angul and Kalahandi districts, the Vigilance Department said.

Among those found were three flats in Bhubaneswar, two buildings and five plots in Angul town, two four-wheelers, a motorcycle and 530 gram of gold, it said.

Vigilance Director Yashwant Jethwa told PTI that investigations into the two cases were in progress.