Kalahandi: The sarpanch of Kalahandi’s Brundabahal gram panchayat, Dinesh Kumar Rout, was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on Saturday, a day after being found with Rs 5.4 lakh in unaccounted cash.
An official statement confirmed that Rout has been detained and will soon be presented in court.
Odisha Vigilance officials intercepted Rout’s vehicle en route to Brundabahal from Golamunda in Kalahandi district on Friday, confiscating Rs 5.4 lakh in cash found in his possession.
Rout failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the cash, leading to its seizure along with his vehicle, as per Vigilance authorities.
The seized funds are suspected to be bribe money collected from contractors involved in various development projects within the panchayat, according to the agency.
After the seizure, searches at two premises associated with Rout are underway to determine if he has amassed wealth disproportionate to his declared income. He is also being interrogated to trace the origin of the funds.
