Bhubaneswar: In a major late-night crackdown, Odisha Vigilance sleuths intercepted Prasanjit Das, Superintending Engineer of the Mahanadi Northern Division, Jagatpur, Katak, and seized unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 21.88 lakh.
Acting on a tip off about collection of bribes from various contractors, a Vigilance team intercepted Das late on Thursday night near AG Chowk in Bhubaneswar while he was travelling in his officially hired Bolero vehicle.
During the initial interception on the road, Vigilance officials recovered suspected ill-gotten cash to the tule of Rs 7,28,620 directly from his possession inside the vehicle.
Following his immediate detention, simultaneous search operations were launched early Friday morning across multiple locations linked to the officer.
A thorough search at his rented flat (D-401, Trident Galaxy, Ghatikia, Bhubaneswar) yielded an additional Rs 14,60,000 in cash. Search teams also searched his ancestral property located in the Bargarh area of Bhubaneswar.
As Das failed to provide a satisfactory explanation or valid documentation regarding the source of the total Rs 21,88,620 seized, the entire amount was confiscated under law.
The anti-corruption agency has registered a case—Bhubaneswar Vigilance PS Case No. 24 dated 16.10.2026—under Sections 13(2) read with 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018).
The official is under detention and undergoing detailed interrogation to trace the broader network of bribery and contractor kickbacks.
