A superintending engineer of Odisha’s water resources department was detained by the state vigilance department after nearly ₹ 22 lakh in unaccounted cash was recovered from him and his rented flat in Bhubaneswar, officials said on Saturday.
The engineer, Prasanjit Das, was intercepted near AG Square late Friday night after vigilance officers tracked his movements following a tip-off that he had collected bribes from contractors. Mobile phone tracking eventually led the officers to Delta Chak in Bhubaneswar, where Das was attending a party at the Delta Irrigation Inspection Bungalow. By then, he had switched his hired vehicle. Two vigilance officers in plain clothes entered the premises and joined the gathering to confirm his identity and keep him under surveillance. Officers following him intercepted the vehicle near AG Square and searched him, recovering the cash. Meanwhile, another vigilance team had reached his rented flat at Trident Galaxy Apartments in Bhubaneswar and placed it under guard.
Das, 34, is the superintending engineer of the Mahanadi Northern Division at Jagatpur in Cuttack district. Vigilance officers recovered ₹ 7.29 lakh from him while he was travelling in an officially hired Bolero near AG Square, following a tip-off that he had collected bribes from contractors, vigilance director general of police (DGP) YK Jethwa said. After Das was intercepted, the officers searched the flat and recovered another ₹ 14.6 lakh, bringing the total seizure to ₹ 21.89 lakh.
After the party, Das switched to his official Bolero and left to meet another contractor, the release said.
The entire amount was seized, and he has been detained for further investigation.
During questioning, he could not satisfactorily explain the source of the cash, officials said.
