Odisha Vigilance arrests Nayagarh sub-registrar for amassing 79% disproportionate assets

Nayagarh: Vigilance arrested Nayagarh sub-registrar Saswat Kumar Pattanaik for accumulating assets disproportionate to his legal sources of income, following a raid that concluded today. He was found to have amassed around 79 per cent ill-gotten properties as compared to his income.

Pattanaik will be forwarded to the Court of Special Vigilance Judge in Bhubaneswar for possessing disproportionate assets (DA) to his known sources of income, which the sub-registrar could not account for satisfactorily. In this connection, Bhubaneswar Vigilance PS Case No-36, dated-14.12.2023 was registered against him U/s 13(2) r/w 13(1)(b) of the PC Amendment Act, 2018.

During the house searches, the following movable and immovable assets were unearthed in the name of Pattanaik and his family members: a double-storey building with total area of 2,350 sqft located at Talabaranga in Kendrapara town, another double-storey building with total area of approximately 2,100 sqft at Talagaon under Kudanagari police limits of Kendrapara, six plots in and around Cuttack, Jatni, Khurdha and Kendrapara towns, a press release issued by Vigilance in this regard stated.

The landed properties include a piece of land measuring 0.046002 acre vide Khata No-1162/2216 and Plot No-1019/1357 at Bhanapur mouza of Cuttack district, another piece of land measuring 0.055 acre vide Khata No-466 and Plot No-250 at Baanra mouza of Cuttack, a piece of land measuring an area of 0.02754 acre vide Khata No-86 and Plot No-613 at Dakhinamunda Muhan mouza of Khurda, a piece of land measuring an area of 0.0027 acre vide Khata No-1339 and Plot No-144 at Chhhanaghar mouza in Jatni town of Khurda, a piece of land measuring an area of 0.55 acre vide Khata No-644 and Plot No-1242 at Narangarh mouza of Khurda, a piece of land measuring 0.06 acre vide Khata No-166/175 and Plot No-262/643 at Balarampur mouza of Kendrapara district, the official source said.

It is pertinent to mention, separate teams of Vigilance sleuths yesterday carried out simultaneous raids at six different places associated with the sub-registrar working in Nayagarh district.

“The measurement and valuation of the above buildings and plots are being carried out by Vigilance Technical Wing. An advance of Rs 6,54,500 was paid to two realtors for the purchase of land in his name, including three two-wheelers,” a senior official of the Vigilance raid team expressed.

Notably, eight DSPs, six Inspectors and several other Vigilance officials from Khurda, Bhubaneswar and Nayagarh divisions took part in the house search. Pattanaik has been working in Nayagarh district for the last one year and searches were conducted based on a warrant from a special Vigilance court.