Bhubaneswar: Locals in Nabarangpour burst firecrackers and distributed sweets celebrating the Vigilance raid on district Additional Sub-Collector Prashanta Kumar Rout during assets worth crores of rupees, including a multi-storey building, five plots, Rs 3.02 crore in cash, bank and insurance deposits of over Rs 62 lakh (Rs 21 lakh in Benami account) and 2 four-wheelers were unearthed.
They expressed their happiness on the action taken against a corrupt officer. “It feel like being liberated from the clutches of Ravana. Rout’s primary job was to swindle money,” said a local.
The anti-corruption wing had to look at most unlikely places for the stashed-away cash. Rout’s wife is said to have flung six cartons stashed with cash onto the neighbour’s terrace and telephoned them, telephoned them requesting to hide those. His family also made the officers wait for over 20 minutes before allowing them into the Kanan Vihar residence in Bhubaneswar.
According to sources, Rs.3,02,30,800 was recovered from Rout’s residences in Bhubaneswar and Nabarangpur. “He seems to have made regular cash deposits in a number of benami bank accounts. Details of one such account opened in the name of an acquaintance in IndusInd Bank, Bhubaneswar, has been collected where in Rs.21 lakhs cash deposits are suspected to have been made by Rout from 2019 onwards,” a Vigilance release.
Also Read: Cash Seizure From Addl Sub-Collector Of Nabarangpur 2nd Highest By Odisha Vigilance
ASSETS UNEARTHED
1) A double-storey building measuring plinth area of total 1942 sqft at HIG-115, Kanan Vihar, Bhubaneswar
2) 5 plots, including 4 in prime areas of Cuttack & Bhubaneswar and 1 benami plot at Umarkote, Nawarangpur, which is under verification.
The measurement and valuation/assessment of the building/plots is being carried out by Vigilance Technical Wing.
3) Bank & Insurance deposits over Rs 41 lakh.
4) 2 four wheelers (Innova & Maruti Swift) & 1 two wheeler (Honda Activa) worth Rs.37 lakh, cost of Innova car (benami) Rs.29,50,163 which is under verification.
5) Gold & silver jewellery and household articles worth over Rs.21.35 lakh.
“Rout also spent Rs 87 lakh on medical education of his daughter and educational expenditure of his son. Further searches are continuing. Unearthing of more assets is likely and overall valuation is likely to increase,” the release added.
The OAS officer joined service on July 1, 1996. He worked as tehsildar in Kendrapada, Jajpur, Balasore, Bargarh districts and as BDO in Jajpur, Cuttack, Kendrapada and Sundargarh districts. On November 6, 2018, Rout was arrested for allegedly demanding and accepting Rs 1 lakh bribe from Jhirpani Executive Officer for giving administrative approval to a project worth Rs 11.50 lakh. He was then serving as Block Development Officer (BDO), Bisra, in Sundargarh district.
He was placed under suspension and reinstated on January 18, 2020, as the Additional Sub-Collector of Nabarangpur.
