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.
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.
Das joined government service as an assistant executive engineer (Civil) in the water resources department in March 2016 at a salary of ₹25,000 before he was promoted to executive engineer and then superintending engineer in the Mahanadi North Division, Kataka (water resources).
A late-night chase
The operation began after vigilance sleuths received information that Das had called contractors to the Irrigation Inspection Bungalow at Jagatpur and collected bribes. Vigilance teams in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar began tracking his movements, but the engineer repeatedly changed locations and vehicles, complicating their efforts to intercept him.
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. After the party, Das switched to his official Bolero and left to meet another contractor, the release said. 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. After Das was intercepted, the officers searched the flat and recovered another ₹14.6 lakh, bringing the total seizure to ₹21.89 lakh.
A search was also conducted at his ancestral home in Baragada.
During questioning, he could not satisfactorily explain the source of the cash, officials said. The entire amount was seized, and he has been detained for further investigation.