Odisha's Vigilance department has uncovered a massive assets scandal involving a government engineer, recovering nearly ₹2 crore in cash and over 300 grams of gold from bank lockers linked to the official.
The disproportionate assets probe was launched against assistant executive engineer Baikuntha Nath Behera, who allegedly possessed assets far exceeding his known sources of income.
Vigilance officers found bundles of currency notes stacked inside bank lockers, with cash of around ₹2 crore recovered from two lockers registered in Behera's wife's name.
More than 300 grams of gold ornaments were also recovered from another locker in Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar.
The searches revealed a string of high-value immovable assets, including four palatial houses in Bhubaneswar and a double-storeyed ancestral property at Pandua in Jajpur district.
Officers identified 13 plots linked to the engineer and his family, including seven in prime localities of Bhubaneswar, five in Dharmasala of Jajpur district, and one in Baripada.
Authorities are now examining documents and verifying whether the assets are commensurate with Behera's declared income.
