Initiating exemplary action, the Odisha government on Thursday sent tainted babu Pratap Kumar Samal, suspended deputy manager of Odisha State Police Housing & Welfare Corporation, on compulsory retirement following his arrest in a disproportionate assets case.
Samal had been suspended from service following his arrest last week by the Vigilance for amassing disproportionate assets which were over 1022% of his known sources of income.
The simultaneous raids by the Vigilance sleuths at multiple locations linked to Samal in Bhubaneswar and other places had unearthed over Rs One Crore more illicit money in addition to Rs 14.87 Crore worth properties and cash belonging to him and his spouse which he couldn’t explain satisfactorily.
During the raid, a bizarre scene unfolded when the government official threw a bag containing Rs 20 lakh unaccounted cash onto his neighbour’s terrace in a bid to escape detection by anti- corruption department officials.
The prolonged list of his properties which has been recovered during the search and investigation so far includes the following:
• Cash of Rs.38,12,900/- recovered during house search.
• One 5 storied building over Khata No.594, Plot No.991 at Gothapatna,Bhubaneswar with total built up area of 20,350 Sqft. worth more than Rs 3.5 crores.
• One 4 storied building worth about Rs 65 lakhs over Plot No. N/6-235, IRC Village, Bhubaneswar.
• 1 double storied market complex worth about Rs 44 lakh at Betada, Balasore.
• 17 Plots, 1 Flat and 1 building in Bhubaneswar and Khordha worth crores of rupees in the name of Samal and his spouse.
• 4 Plots and 1 (G+3) building worth about Rs 1.5 crore at Basudevpur, Bhadrak.
• Registered sale deed value of 25 plots including registration and stamp duty is Rs 3,41,58,412.
• Rs. 1,07,37,831.74 have been found to be invested by Samal in shares and debentures.
• Bank and postal deposits worth about Rs 1.6 crores.
• Insurance policies deposits worth Rs 57,72,150.
• Examination of his bank accounts and bank accounts of his family members revealed suspicious deposits and transfers of more than Rs 1.2 crores through cash deposit, RTGS and NEFT.
• One Hyundai Creta car worth Rs 13,43,000 recovered during search.
• Samal had made an unregistered partnership deed between his wife Sasmita and his sister Namita Das for production of atleast two Odia movies under the banner of Radha Krishna Productions.More than Rs.50 Lakhs of ill-gotten money appears to have been invested in production of these two movies.