Public Health assistant engineer under Vigilance scanner in Odisha’s Kalahandi

Bhawanipatna: Separate teams of Odisha Vigilance sleuths carried out simultaneous raids today at three different places associated with an assistant engineer (AE) working in the General Section of the Public Health department at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district.

The house searches were conducted on the strength of warrants issued by the Special Vigilance Judge in Bhawanipatna and based on an allegation that the AE identified as Kishore Chandra Sahu accumulated assets disproportionate to his legal sources of income.

The Vigilance teams were led by an ASP, three DSPs, four Inspectors, and other staff.

Places, where the searches were carried out, include a residential house of Sahu in Mandarbagichapada and the office chamber of the engineer, both in Bhawanipatna town and his ancestral house in Balbaspur village under Narla block.

A three-storey house of 10,500 sqft buildup area with approximate valuation Rs 1.10 crore, two plots in Bhawanipatna town (first one is plot No-414/7322, Khata No-189/4798 of area Ac 0.10 decimal and details of the second plot is being ascertained), bank and insurance deposits of over Rs 1.03 crore, cash of Rs 2.65 lakh, around 235 grams of gold, silver ornaments weighing around 700 grams and two two-wheelers along with several other assets were unearthed during the searches.

Exact measurement and valuation of the seized assets are being done by Vigilance Technical Wing. A detailed investigation is underway, a senior official said.