Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Friday apprehended sarpanch of Kahalandi’s Brundabahal gram panchayat, Dinesh Kumar Rout, with suspected ill-gotten amounting to Rs 5.4 lakh.
According to an official release, a team of Odisha Vigilance intercepted his car while he was proceeding to Brundabahal from Golamunda in Kalahandi district and seized Rs 5.4 lakh in cash from his possession. “As Rout could not account for the source of money satisfactorily, the amount recovered from him was seized,” it said.
The vehicle in which he was travelling was also seized.
“It is suspected that the amount was bribe collection by Rout as PC from contractors executing various developmental projects in the panchayat area,” it further stated.
Searches are being carried out at two locations linked to Rout to ascertain whether he has accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. “He is also being questioned to ascertain the source of money,” it added.
