Odisha Deputy Ranger arrested after Vigilance seizes Rs 1.43 Crore cash, gold and silver stash

In a major crackdown on corruption in government services, Odisha Vigilance on Saturday arrested Rama Chandra Nepak, Deputy Ranger of Jeypore Forest Range in Koraput district, for possession of disproportionate assets far exceeding his known sources of income. He is scheduled to be produced before the Court of Special Judge (Vigilance), Jeypore, today.

A case (Koraput Vigilance PS Case No. 25/2025) has been registered against Nepak under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The arrest follows a series of simultaneous searches conducted at his residential and official premises on Friday, which unearthed unaccounted wealth in the form of cash, property, and valuables.

According to Vigilance sources, officials recovered Rs 1.43 crore in cash, a multi-storeyed building, three flats, two high-value plots, deposits over Rs 1.33 crore in various banks, 1.504 kilograms of gold, 4.637 kilograms of silver, and two four-wheelers. Nepak reportedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the assets during questioning.

Vigilance officials stated that the scale of the assets points to a long-term accumulation of wealth through corrupt means. The seized items are currently being evaluated for market value.

Further investigation is ongoing to verify the origin of the assets and identify any potential associates or enablers.

Notably, Nepak joined as a Village Forest Worker on March 9, 1989, in Social Forestry at Koraput Social Forestry Division, and after the merger of Social Forestry with Territorial Forest Division, he was posted in Jeypore Forest (Territorial) Division. 

At present, he was working as a Deputy Ranger cum In-Charge Ranger, Jeypore Forest Range,  receiving a net Salary of Rs 69,680 and Gross Salary of Rs 76,880 per month.