BHUBANESWAR: The Vigilance on Monday unearthed more cash worth Rs 8.5 lakh and over Rs 50 lakh in bank deposits during searches being carried out for the second day on Keonjhar Kendu Leaf (KL) division DFO Nityananda Nayak and his family members in connection with disproportionate assets case.
Officials said the fresh recovery of cash from the government quarter of Nayak at Forest Colony in Keonjhar has raised the total amount of seizure to Rs 10 lakh. The Rs 50 lakh bank deposits have been found in nine accounts linked to the OFS officer and his family members.
“The search operation is continuing. We are also verifying the large number of land documents and insurance papers to find the exact value of the assets and investments found in the name of Nayak and his family members,” said a senior official.
The anti-corruption wing during its raids conducted at seven different locations linked to Nayak found around 115 valuable plots - the highest number of land holdings detected by the agency in the name of any government officer and his/her family till date. The officer had also been found possessing a four-storey building spread over 9000 sq ft area in Angul, a mini armoury, teak artefacts, 200 gm gold and two four-wheelers.
Vigilance officials said despite owning 115 plots, Nayak showed only 12 in his property statements. He is being questioned to ascertain the source of such huge asset as no one else in the family had any income during the period of their purchase. His elder son, a medical professional, is also in service only since September 2023. The officer is also being questioned as to why he concealed the information about their purchase to the authorities, officials said.
Officials suspect that the exact value of the assets and land holdings in the name of the officer and his family members is likely to exceed Rs 10 crore.