Tainted Odisha govt engineer’s wife snatches seized items during Vigilance raid

In a significant operation, Odisha Vigilance sleuths conducted a series of raids on Friday at different locations linked to a junior engineer (JE) Susanta Kumar Sethy in Bhubaneswar, uncovering a substantial amount of unexplained wealth.

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However, in a surprising turn of events, Sethy’s wife put on a show during the raid and tried to retrieve the seized items from the Vigilance officials.

The JE works with the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division in the Nuapada district. He found himself at the centre of this enforcement action amid allegations of possessing disproportionate assets (DA). The raids were conducted at eight separate locations.

Sethy's wife attempted to resist !

According to sources, Sethy's wife allegedly attempted to resist the enforcement officers' actions during the search at his Bhubaneswar residence, endeavouring to reclaim the goods that had been confiscated. Her defiance extended to the point of physical confrontation with the officials. Despite these disruptions, the Vigilance team was able to proceed effectively, gathering crucial evidence pertinent to the graft case.

Simultaneous raids were underway till the time when this report was filed.

“I do not know what exactly the allegations against me are. They (Vigilance sleuths) came in the morning and showed me a search warrant and carried out the raid. Around 10-12 people are in the team. I have no idea as to where else the searches are being carried out apart from my residence and office,” JE Sethy said to mediapersons.

“I have no gold jewelry and cash with me at home. Nothing has been found during the search operation. Only documents are there,” the R&B JE expressed.

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Notably, the searches were being conducted by special teams led by seven DSP rank officers, three Inspectors, 10 assistant sub-inspectors, and other supporting staff. The raids are being conducted by virtue of a warrant issued by Special Vigilance Judge, Bhubaneswar.