Bhubaneswar: A day after apprehending a junior engineer (JE) carrying Rs 2.03 lakh ill-gotten cash, the Odisha Vigilance on Saturday conducted raids on multiple properties linked to him to unearth assets allegedly amassed by him.
Bhimasen Maharana, a JE in Rural Development (RD) Division at Jajpurm, was intercepted with Rs 2.03 lakh during an operation on Friday.
After apprehending him, the Vigilance sleuths raided several premises of Maharana and reportedly unearthed massive irregularities, illegal network of factories and unaccounted wealth.
Sources said two factories operating within the premises of Maharana’s house at Balianta in Bhubaneswar came to the fore during the raid. One was an illegal water packaging unit and another a furniture factory. Assistance of the Forest Department was also utilised to investigate the source of the wood.
Vigilance officials also found cash amounting to over Rs 98,000, gold ornaments weighing more than 200 grams (estimated at Rs 9 lakh), fixed deposits and bank balances totaling Rs 31.80 lakh, and insurance policies worth Rs 10 lakh. Additionally, nine luxury vehicles were discovered.
The Vigilance team also conducted simultaneous raids at his office at Kuakhia in Jajpur.
Maharana was intercepted on his way to his native place after allegedly accepting bribe, leading to his detention.
Further investigation is in progress to determine the full extent of ‘illegal operations’ and sources of his disproportionate assets.
