JEYPORE: Vigilance on Tuesday carried out simultaneous searches at property linked to assistant executive engineer (AEE) of Jeypore block and in-charge engineer of Jeypore Municipality. The team unearthed assets worth crores of rupees over allegations of amassing disproportionate assets to his known source of income.
The engineer, Biswanath Patra, was under scrutiny after Jeypore residents demanded a Vigilance inquiry into the Jaganath Sagar project recently. The Vigilance team raided six locations, including Patra’s residences and houses in Jeypore, Berhampur, and Bhubaneswar.
During the raids, assets including a triple-storeyed building with 7,200 sq ft area in Jeypore town, a double-storeyed building with 3,400 sq ft area at Koli Sahi, Belaguntha, Ganjam, 18 plots of which six in prime areas of Bhubaneswar, one in Jeypore town, another in Berhampur town and 10 plots at Jagannathprasad, Ganjam.
He was also found in possession of cash and other house articles worth Rs 7.70 lakh, bank and insurance deposits of around Rs 1.1 crore and gold and silver ornaments weighing 850 gram and 1.8 kg respectively,
Official sources said the search operation is on, and the value of the seizure may increase further. Patra, who joined as an adhoc engineer in 2011, was appointed as a regular AEE after clearing OPSC exam in 2016.