TV
In a high-profile crackdown on corruption, the Odisha Vigilance Department on Saturday arrested Baikuntha Nath Sarangi, the Chief Engineer of the RW Department, following explosive revelations of amassing assets grossly disproportionate to his known sources of income. A massive raid was carried out by the Vigilance officials on the properties linked to Sarangi on Friday, a day before his scheduled retirement.
On Friday, the Vigilance officials conducted simultaneous raids on multiple properties owned by Sarangi and uncovered a staggering Rs 2.56 crore in unaccounted cash stashed within his residence. In what appeared to be a desperate move, Sarangi allegedly attempted to dispose of cash by throwing bundles of currency through a window when the Vigilance team arrived yesterday.
Further investigation revealed an astonishing web of wealth:
Two multi-story buildings
Seven high-value plots
Bank deposits worth Rs 1.5 crore.
The Vigilance officials also discovered that Sarangi had invested around Rs 2.7 crore in the share market. Among the more unusual assets, the Vigilance team seized 15 high-end luxury wristwatches, indicating a possible obsession with expensive timepieces. Additionally, officials recovered 1.141 kg of gold ornaments.
The arrest followed months of surveillance and intelligence gathering, culminating in one of the biggest disproportionate asset cases in recent memory in Odisha. What makes this case particularly noteworthy is not only the quantum of wealth unearthed but also the symbolic timing—his arrest coming just hours before his retirement from public service.
Vigilance officials confirmed that the properties and wealth unearthed so far are just the tip of the iceberg, and investigations are ongoing.
This case adds to a growing list of corruption cases being aggressively pursued by Odisha Vigilance as the state gears up for a cleaner administrative machinery under the newly formed government.
