Vigilance arrests state government official: The Odisha Vigilance has arrested an additional sub-collector of Nawarangpur district for allegedly acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, officials said.
The officer was identified as Prasanta Kumar Rout who was arrested on Saturday (June 24) and sent to jail after his bail petition was rejected by a court in Sundergarh district.
The Vigilance department, in a statement, said that Rout possessed disproportionate assets worth Rs 5,21,09,659, which amounts to “506% more than his known sources of income”.
The government official was arrested after he failed to account for the recovery of over Rs 3 crore in cash in his possession satisfactorily, the officials said.
A case was registered against Rout and his wife under different sections of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
Rout produced before court
He was produced before the Special Vigilance Court in Sundergarh on Saturday. The court rejected his bail application and sent him to 14-day judicial custody, the officials said.
“During house searches, vigilance sleuths found in his name a double-storied building in Bhubaneswar, several plots in prime locations of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar and one benami plot at Umarkote in Nawarangpur district,” the officials said.
“These apart, a total cash of Rs 3,02,30,800 was also recovered along with bank and insurance deposits over Rs 92. 34 lakh, gold and silver jewellery and household articles worth over Rs 27.27 lakh,” they added.
Further investigation into the matter is in progress, the statement said.
Rout was also arrested in 2018 in a corruption case when he was a BDO in Sundergarh district.
Slugfest between BJD and BJP
Rout’s arrest on Saturday triggered a slugfest between the ruling BJD and opposition BJP, after a purported photograph of the accused OAS officer along with a close aide of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, went viral on social media. However, the authenticity of the photograph could not be independently verified.
BJP leader and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while addressing a party rally in Talcher on Saturday, alleged that the accused was getting patronage from the “third floor” (the CM’s office).
Pradhan also claimed that the vigilance has recovered about Rs 100 crore from low-ranking officials like executive engineers, block development officers, and additional sub-collectors since January.
Reacting sharply to his remarks, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said, “It is unfortunate that Pradhan, despite being aware of the zero-tolerance policy of the Odisha government, is still making such statements.” Patra said over the past three years, 180 officers have been sent on compulsory retirement, dismissed from service or their pensions withheld after being found to have indulged in corruption.
(With PTI inputs)
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