Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance on Saturday arrested Rama Chandra Nepak, deputy ranger and in-charge range officer of Jeypore forest range under Jeypore forest division in Koraput district, after a massive disproportionate assets (DA) investigation.
The anti-corruption agency unearthed around Rs 1.43 crore in cash, 1.5kg gold ornaments, 4.6kg silver, besides Rs 1.33 crore in bank and insurance deposits during simultaneous searches at six locations linked to the junior-rank forest official. A total of Rs 1.39 crore in cash along with four gold biscuits and 16 gold coins, each weighing 10 gram, were found concealed in a secret treasury in his Jeypore town flat. Counting machines had to be deployed to ascertain the total amount of cash seized.
A multi-storey building, 3 flats, 2 high-value plots and two four wheelers were also found which he could not account for satisfactorily, a Vigilance release said.
The deputy forest ranger, who currently draws a monthly salary of Rs 69,680, began his career as a village forest worker under the social forestry division in Koraput district in 1989. Following the merger of the social forestry division with the territorial forest division, he was posted in Jeypore forest (territorial) division. In 2023, he was promoted to the rank of deputy ranger and since then he has been the in-charge ranger of Borigumma, Gupteswar and Jeypore forest ranges under Jeypore forest division.
The enormous unaccounted stash in his flat has once again brought the spotlight back on systemic corruption in the lower bureaucracy, raising serious questions about monitoring mechanisms within the forest department — particularly in resource-rich regions like Koraput.
Second Forest Officer Raided In 1 Week
Odisha’s vigilance department uncovered 115 land parcels, a small armoury comprising traditional hunting weapons and a rifle, a collection of teak artefacts, Rs 1.55 lakh in cash, 200 gram gold and two four-wheelers during a raid on Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Keonjhar Kendu Leaf division, Nityananda Nayak, last week.
He owned the highest number of land holdings by any government officer. Of the total 115 land plots, 53 were found registered under the DFO’s name, while another 42 were listed under his wife’s ownership.
