BHUBANESWAR: In his career at the Odisha State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation (OPHWC) spanning three decades, deputy manager of the State PSU Pratap Kumar Samal allegedly accumulated illegal assets to the tune of a whopping Rs 14.88 crore which is over 1,000 per cent of his known sources of income. Samal was arrested by the Vigilance officers on Wednesday. The investigators said that this is one of the highest disproportionate assets unearthed in the State so far.
After completing his diploma in civil engineering from Bhadrak in 1987, he joined OPHWC on August 14,1988 as junior engineer in Bhubaneswar head office. He continued as an estimator till 1994-1995. On being promoted to the rank of deputy manager in 2013, Pratap worked at Rourkela, Balangir, Keonjhar and Cuttack. In 2019, he joined as deputy manager at Bhubaneswar office. He was drawing a salary of Rs 70,000.
If sources are to be believed, Pratap accumulated some disproportionate assets lately. During investigation, the Vigilance officers traced more than Rs 1.61 crore in the bank accounts of Pratap and his family members. The bank accounts have been freezed.The registered sale deed value of Pratap’s 25 plots including their registration and stamp duty is more than Rs 3.41 crore. The market value of his five-storey building at Gothapatna in the city is over Rs 3.89 crore.
“Searches at the property of Pratap were completed in the wee hours of Wednesday. So far, the disproportionate assets traced are 1,021 per cent of his known sources of income. He could not explain satisfactorily about the sources of his assets for which he was arrested,” said Vigilance Director YK Jethwa.Valuation of his other buildings is being carried out by the agency’s technical wing and further probe is on. Vigilance officers have also ascertained that Pratap paid Rs 57.72 lakh towards the premium of insurance policies.
The immovable assets traced by the officers are registered in the name of Pratap, his wife Sasmita and son. Sasmita is a housewife with no source of income.Apart from taking up Odisha Police’s construction projects, OPHWC also takes work of other State government departments.Sources said Vigilance officers are probing whether Pratap amassed illegal assets by receiving commission from the contractors to whom various works were awarded by OPHWC.
Vigilance officers have also found out about a foreign trip of Pratap and they are probing if he undertook any other abroad tours.The Bhubaneswar Vigilance division on Wednesday registered a case against Pratap and his wife Sasmita under Sections 12, 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act.The Vigilance Director has warned that stringent action against corruption will continue in the coming days. In 2020, disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 9.35 crore was traced to IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak.