Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance on Saturday unearthed massive assets allegedly linked to Baikuntha Nath Behera, Assistant Executive Engineer of ITDA at Baliguda, Kandhamal, on allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The searches led to the seizure of Rs 2 crore cash from bank lockers, besides detection of five multi-storeyed buildings, 13 high-value plots, cash, gold ornaments and other financial investments.
Major assets unearthed in the name of Behera and his family members so far are as follows:
>> Rs 2 crore cash recovered from bank lockers operated in the name of the spouse of the AEE at Axis Bank and UBI, Chandrasekharpur Branch, Bhubaneswar. •
>> Five multi-storeyed buildings including four palatial buildings in Bhubaneswar and one in Jajpur district. •
Four-storey building measuring around 10,500 sq ft at Niladri Vihar, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar.
Triple-storey building at Sailashree Vihar, Bhubaneswar. •
Double-storey building at Kanan Vihar, Patia, Bhubaneswar. •
Another double-storey building at Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar. •
Double-storeyed building constructed on ancestral land at Pandua in Jajpur district.
>> Land Properties: 13 high-value plots detected. Seven plots located in prime areas of Bhubaneswar, including Niladri Vihar, Sailashree Vihar, Bomikhal and Ghatikia. Five plots traced in Dharmasala area of Jajpur district and one in Baripada.
>> Deposits amounting to Rs 45 lakh.
>> Gold weighing 341 grams
The measurement and valuation/assessment of the above buildings/plots are being carried out by Vigilance Technical Wing.
The searches are being carried out by teams led by two Additional SPs, five DSPs, six Inspectors and other supporting staff under search warrants issued by the Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar, in Bhubaneswar, Baripada, Dharmasala in Jajpur district, and Baliguda in Kandhamal district.
Vigilance said Behera had joined government service on 16.08.1999 as Junior Engineer (Civil) and was posted at Nabarangpur block with initial salary Rs.6,000. He continued there, and on 03.02.2001, he was transferred and posted as JE, ITDA, Udala. Again, from 28.09.2001 to 03.01.2007, he worked as JE, Kusumguda Block & Dabugaon Block, as well as ITDA, Nabarangpur. On 31.10.2016, he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Engineer (AE) and posted at ITDA, Nabarangpur. He continued there as AE, and on 08.08.2022, he was transferred and posted as AE, ITDA, Nabarangpur. On 12.02.2026, he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Executive Engineer and posted at ITDA, Baliguda, where he has been continuing till date.
