BHUBANESWAR: Suspended IAS officer Bijay Ketan Upadhyay was sent to Jharpada jail here after his five-day police remand ended on Sunday.
Upadhyaya and relationship manager of a private bank Santosh Kumar Pattanayak, who were arrested by anti-corruption agency on December 30 and brought on police remand, were produced before a court here and remanded in judicial custody till January 13. The Court of Special Judge Vigilance, Bhubaneswar, will hear the bail petition filed by Upadhyaya on Wednesday.
During interrogation, the Vigilance sleuths found out that Upadhyaya and Pattanayak were allegedly having professional and personal association for the last several years. When Upadhyaya was posted as Director of Fisheries between May 27, 2016 and December 31 of the same year, Pattanayak was working with HDFC Bank’s Chandni Chowk branch in Cuttack as senior manager and branch head.
On Pattanayak’s request for facilitating banking business from Directorate of Fisheries, Upadhyaya reportedly had issued instructions to open an account in Chandni Chowk branch for transaction of RKVY funds. He then directed closure of RKVY accounts operating in six different public and private sector banks, including one in HDFC Bank’s College Square branch in Cuttack. About Rs 8 crore was transferred to the account opened at Chandni Chowk branch.
Later, Pattanayak left HDFC and joined YES Bank, but he remained in contact with Upadhyaya, who was Director of Horticulture since August 20, 2018. He insisted the IAS officer to open an account of Directorate of Horticulture in YES Bank to raise deposits in the financial institution so that his appointment at a higher pay scale could be finalised.
There was a uniform modus operandi in closing Government accounts in other banks and opening new ones where Pattanayak was working. In the process, Rs 79.2 crore Government fund was allegedly deposited by Director of Horticulture in YES Bank.
Due to such close and prolonged personal and professional association between Upadhyaya and Pattanayak, the officer used to demand and accept bribe through the bank representatives from various companies, suppliers and dealers, a Vigilance release said.
Meanwhile, incriminating materials have been retrieved from laptops, iPads, mobile phones and pen drives which were seized during the searches. The investments made by Upadhyaya are under verification.