Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance sleuths have seized an additional Rs 5.74 lakh in cash during house searches following the interception of a tehsildar, who was allegedly caught driving home in Raukela with unaccounted cash of Rs 5 lakh.
Muralidhar Urmal, tehsildar-cum-sub-registrar of Lathikata, was apprehended with the unaccounted cash near Rajabasa chhak on Thursday evening. Following the seizure, simultaneous searches were conducted at three locations linked to Urmal to trace any ill-gotten wealth allegedly amassed by the senior revenue officer.
Besides the total cash seizure of Rs 10.74 lakh, the Vigilance official unearthed a double-storey building at Karmdihi in Sundaragada, six high value plots on the outskirt of Sundaragada and Rourkela town and gold and silver ornaments weighing 241 and 635 grams, and bank, postal and insurance deposits worth Rs.66.10 lakh.
One four wheeler and three two wheelers were also among the assets uncovered so far, a Vigilance release said on Friday, adding that the raids were conducted at tehsildar’s office at Lathikata, his official residence at New LIC colony in Rourkela’s Civil Township and another location.