The Odisha Vigilance today intercepted an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of the Kendrapada Drainage Division on Saturday, recovering Rs 3.15 lakh in suspected ill-gotten cash.
Acting on a reliable tip-off regarding the collection of bribes from local contractors for the clearance of pending bills, vigilance sleuths launched an operation against Anupama Sahoo.
The team intercepted Sahoo at Marshaghai Crossing on NH 53-A while she was traveling from her office to her residence in Nayanvihar, Kendrapada, in her official vehicle (Registration No: OD-29-S-6644).
During the interception, officials recovered Rs 3,15,000 from her possession. According to the Vigilance Department, Sahoo was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the source of the substantial amount. Consequently, the cash and the office vehicle were seized by the authorities.
Following the seizure, vigilance officers launched simultaneous search operations at her office and residential premises to investigate potential disproportionate assets (DA).
Further, cash of Rs. 4 lakh was recovered during the search at her Kendrapara residence. With this, the total cash recovery comes to Rs 7,15,000. She is being examined to ascertain the source of such a huge amount of cash.
The investigation is ongoing, and further details are awaited as the searches continue.
