Odisha Vigilance arrested Dhaneswar Barad, the Excise Superintendent of Raurkela in Sundaragada district, following the dramatic seizure of Rs 5 lakh in suspected bribe cash.
The accused officer was forwarded to the Special Judge, Vigilance, in Sundaragada on Saturday, September 12, 2026.
The Interception and Arrest
Acting on reliable intelligence that Barad had been collecting substantial bribe money from local excise licensees, a special vigilance team placed him under surveillance. On Friday night, the vigilance team intercepted a Scorpio vehicle bearing registration number OD14-AD-1314 right in front of the Excise Superintendent’s office in Uditnagar, Rourkela.
The vehicle was being driven by a local wine shop salesman who was transporting Rs 5 lakh in cash. Upon questioning, the salesman admitted that the money had been handed to him by Excise Superintendent Barad for delivery to his personal residence. When confronted by the officers, Barad failed to provide any satisfactory explanation for the possession of the Rs 5,00,000, leading to its immediate seizure. A formal case, Raurkela Vigilance PS Case No. 12 dated September 11, 2026, was registered under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
Simultaneous Raids Unearth Disproportionate Assets
Following the cash seizure, simultaneous search operations were launched by Odisha Vigilance teams at Barad’s residential properties, including his house at D-31, Civil Township in Rourkela, and a sprawling double-storeyed building spanning approximately 2,700 sq. ft. in Raghunathpur, Bhubaneswar.
Initial inventories and asset assessments uncovered massive disproportionate wealth, including:
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Real Estate: A double-storeyed building in Raghunathpur, Bhubaneswar, along with 4 plots (1 in Bhubaneswar and 3 on the outskirts of Nayagarh).
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Bank Deposits: Financial deposits totalling Rs 33.97 lakh.
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Investments: Additional documents regarding various investments and deposits currently undergoing verification.
Upon calculating his known sources of income against total assets and expenditures, vigilance officials found Barad in possession of disproportionate assets exceeding 100% of his legal income. Further investigation into the case is actively underway.
