Rs 8cr properties & Rs 1.75cr cryptocurrencies: Odisha engineer’s house a corruption den

Odisha Vigilance officials on Friday were in for a shock after the anti-corruption bureau came across assets worth over Rs 8 crore during raids at Chief Engineer Nihar Ranjan Das’s house. But what left the Vigilance officials even more surprised was a whopping Rs 1.75 crore worth crypto currencies.

Though, Das posted as Additional Chief Engineer of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, Bhubaneswar Circle, tried to throw away the crypto documents and his mobile phone through his house window, officials recovered about 38 documents and mobile phone that revealed the shocking details.

The sleuths also seized a diary in which Das has mentioned all details of his crypto investments. This is the first time, Odisha vigilance has seized cryptocurrencies from a government employee.

Vigilance officers suspect that the value of cryptocurrencies may be even more and details will be ascertained after the investigation.

Assets seized from Das include bank and insurance deposits worth Rs 64.42 lakh, Rs 1.07 lakh in cash, gold ornaments  worth over Rs 10 lakh and household articles amounting to more than Rs 15.55 lakh. Das was also found in possession of two four-wheelers worth about Rs 39 lakh and two Royal Enfield bullets costing Rs 3 lakh.

Das has accumulated massive movable and immovable assets that included eight plots worth Rs 1.27 crore in Sambalpur.

Notably, the Odisha vigilance department on Friday simultaneously raided six locations associated with Nihar Ranjan Das over allegations of possessing disproportionate assets.

Five Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), 12 Inspectors, one Sub-Inspector, 11 ASIs and other staff including the constables carried out the raids in Khordha, Sambalpur and Bargarh.

The six locations at which the raids are being conducted are as follows:

1. Residential house located at Flat No-201, Sriram Mansion, Kharavel Nagar, Bhubaneswar worth Rs 32.7 lakh market value.

2. Triple-storied building (Parental) of Sri Das located at Modipada, Sambalpur.

3. Paternal house of Sri Das located at village Rohiniyan, PS, District Bargarh.

4. The Office Chamber of Nihar Ranjan Das at O/o Superintending Engineer, RWS&S, PMDI Circle, Bhubaneswar.

5. Relative's residence, Plot No.195, Kharavel Nagar, Bhubaneswar.

6. Relative's residence at Lalit Bhaban, Gandhi Nagar, Sanapalla, Khordha.