Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance have unearthed massive assets, Including 29 plots, buildings, gold, and over Rs 48 lakh cash during raids on Deputy Manager of the Sambalpur Division of the Odisha Police Housing and Welfare Corporation (OPHWC), Bidyut Ranjan Bhol.
He was arrested on Wednesday after failing to provide a satisfactory explanation for the sources of the cash and properties disproportionate to his known income. Officials suspect he has accumulated from undue benefits possibly received from contractors involved in police housing projects.
This comes a day after Bhol was intercepted near Sambalpur railway station on March 31 with around Rs 5 lakh in suspected ill-gotten cash. Acting
on a tip-off regarding alleged bribe collections, Vigilance officials recovered approximately Rs 5,18,900 from his possession. Subsequently, simultaneous house searches were conducted at multiple locations linked to Bhol and his family members in Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, and Bhanjanagar in Ganjam district. Additional Rs 5 lakh cash was recovered from Bhol’s residence in Bhubaneswar and another two trunks, containing around 70 bundles of Rs 500 notes, at his sister’s residence in Chandrasekharpur.
Assets recovered during the searches include:
>> Two multi-storeyed buildings and one flat at Kalinga Vihar in Bhubaneswar
>> 29 plots in Jatni, Berhampur, and other areas.
>> Gold ornaments and items weighing 1.140 kg, including 6 gold coins and 2 gold biscuits.
>> Cash totalling Rs 48,79,100
>> Bank deposits worth around Rs 30 lakh
Other financial investments are still under verification, a Vigilance release said.
Bhol joined government service on August 1, 1998, as an Assistant Project Manager in the Berhampur division of OPHWC, starting with a modest monthly salary of Rs 7,000.