CUTTACK: Odisha Vigilance on Saturday arrested Prasanjit Das, superintending engineer of the Mahanadi North Division under Water Resources department, Jagatpur, after recovering unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 21.88 lakh from him and his residences.
According to a Vigilance release, the anti-corruption agency got a tip-off that Das was allegedly collecting bribe from contractors at the Irrigation Inspection Bungalow in Jagatpur. Vigilance teams were then mobilised in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar to track his movement.
He, however, allegedly kept changing locations and vehicles, making it difficult for them to intercept him.
“It was a night-long cat and mouse game between the Vigilance teams and the accused as he changed locations and vehicles. Later, through mobile tracking, one team found his location near Delta Chak, Bhubaneswar, and tracked him to the Delta Irrigation IB, where he was participating in a feast. He had also changed his hired vehicle by then,” said a senior Vigilance officer.
Two personnel in plain clothes entered the premises and joined the gathering to confirm his identity and monitor his movements.
After the gathering, Das switched to his officially hired Bolero and left to meet another contractor. The Vigilance team intercepted the vehicle near AG Chhak, the officer said.
During search, the team recovered cash of Rs 7,28,620 from his possession, which he could not account for satisfactorily. Following the seizure of the cash and vehicle, simultaneous search were conducted at his rented house in Flat No-D-401,Trident Galaxy Apartment at Ghatikia and parental house in Bargarh district. The teams recovered further cash of Rs 14,60,000 taking the total seizure amount to Rs 21,88,620, the officer informed.
“Due to coordinated and immediate action, the family members could not conceal the cash lying at home, and it was seized,” said the officer.
Das had joined government service as assistant executive engineer in office of the engineer-in-chief, Water Resources department in 2016 with initial salary approximately Rs 25,000 per month. He was then transferred and posted as AEE, Canal Sub-division, Bargarh in 2021. He was promoted as executive engineer and posted to Gangadhar Meher Lift Irrigation Division-1, Bijepur, in 2022. He was posted as SE, Mahanadi North Division, Jagatpur in June this year. A case has been registered and further investigation is on, Vigilance officials said.
