Corruption Sweep: Odisha Engineer Caught with Massive Assets

An Odisha irrigation department engineer, Panchu Behera, was arrested by vigilance officers after raids revealed assets disproportionate to his known income. The operation uncovered a three-storey building, multiple plots, substantial cash and deposits, gold, a mixture machine, an excavator, and more, resulting in corruption charges against Behera.

On Friday, Odisha Vigilance officers arrested an irrigation department engineer following a surprising discovery of assets that far exceed his known income sources, according to officials.

On Thursday, based on a tip-off, vigilance sleuths executed concurrent raids at five locations associated with Panchu Behera, an assistant engineer appointed as a sub-divisional officer at the Bhanjanagar irrigation division in Ganjam district.

The searches revealed a three-storey building in Berhampur, five plots around town, Rs 18.90 lakh in cash, around Rs 90 lakh in deposits in banks and other financial institutions, as well as valuable items such as gold, a mixture machine, an excavator, and a car. A case has been filed against Behera at Berhampur vigilance police station under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018.

(With inputs from agencies.)