Odisha Vigilance arrests forester in disproportionate assets case

Bhawanipatna/Kalahandi: Odisha Vigilance arrested Bhagabat Bhusan Behera, a forester posted under the Bhawanipatna Forest Range in Kalahandi district, in connection with a disproportionate assets (DA) case.

Following his arrest, Behera will be forwarded to the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhawanipatna, later in the day, Vigilance said on Saturday.

Assets found during searches

The arrest came after extensive searches conducted at properties linked to the accused. Vigilance officials claimed Behera was found in possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. These include a newly constructed multi-storeyed building, nine high-value plots, around 470 grams of gold, and bank deposits amounting to Rs 34.08 lakh.

Benami vehicles and machinery seized

Investigators also detected several high-value vehicles and machines allegedly held in benami names. These include two Kubota harvester machines, four tractors, one Ashok Leyland tipper, one BharatBenz Hyva vehicle, one Bolero vehicle, and a Toyota car. The accused reportedly failed to satisfactorily account for these assets.

Case registered, probe on

In this connection, Koraput Vigilance Police Station has registered Vigilance PS Case No. 02/2026 against Behera under the relevant provisions of law.

Vigilance officials said further investigation in the case is continuing.