Odisha JE caught with ‘ill-gotten’ cash: Vigilance raids unearth massive wealth including 2 factories

A day after the Vigilance sleuths intercepted Bhimasen Maharana, a junior engineer (JE) from the Rural Development (RD) Division, Jajpur with Rs 2.03 lakh suspected ill-gotten cash, the officials of the anti-corruption agency conducted raids on the properties linked to Maharana, on Saturday.

During the raids, the Vigilance Department unearthed massive irregularities and exposed an unlawful network of factories and unaccounted wealth.

According to sources, the raid uncovered two factories operating within the premises of Maharana’s luxurious house at Balianta in Bhubaneswar. One was an illegal water packaging unit and the other was a large-scale wooden furniture factory from where high-value timbers were seized during the raid.

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The Forest Department was also roped in to investigate the source of the wood, informed sources.

During the search, Vigilance officials found cash amounting to over Rs 98,000, gold ornaments weighing more than 200 grams (estimated at Rs 9 lakh), fixed deposits and bank balances totaling Rs 31.80 lakh, and insurance policies worth Rs 10 lakh. Additionally, nine luxury vehicles were discovered.

The Vigilance team also conducted simultaneous raids at his office at Kuakhia in Jajpur. Maharana was intercepted on his way to his native place after allegedly accepting bribe, leading to his detention.

Further investigations are underway to determine the full extent of ‘illegal operations’ and sources of his disproportionate assets.