Odisha Vigilance arrests Malkangiri junior engineer in DA case; eight plots, over Rs 2 lakh cash seized

Odisha Vigilance on Saturday arrested Nihar Ranjan Sarkar, Junior Engineer of Malkangiri block in Malkangiri district, in connection with a disproportionate assets (DA) case, following the detection of assets allegedly far beyond his known sources of income.

As per reports, he will be produced before the Court of the Special Judge (Vigilance), Jeypore, later in the day.

Sources reported that Sarkar was taken into custody after searches conducted at multiple locations linked to him revealed substantial movable and immovable properties that he reportedly failed to account for satisfactorily during the course of the investigation.

Assets Allegedly Disproportionate To Known Income

During the searches, Vigilance officers reportedly unearthed a triple-storeyed palatial building, eight valuable plots of land, cash amounting to Rs 2.11 lakh, and a four-wheeler, among other assets. 

Authorities stated that the total valuation of the seized properties is under assessment and will be scrutinised further as part of the investigation.

Case Registered, Investigation Underway

In connection with the matter, a case has been registered under the Koraput Vigilance Police Station under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Officials confirmed that further investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the assets, examine financial records, and verify possible links to benami holdings or additional properties not covered during the initial searches.

The arrest comes amid recent sustained efforts by the Vigilance Directorate to identify and act against public servants accused of misusing their official positions for personal enrichment.

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As of the last reports, Sarkar remains in Vigilance custody and will be produced before the designated Vigilance court in Jeypore as per legal procedure. Further developments will depend on the outcome of the court proceedings and the findings of the ongoing investigation.