3 Odisha govt officials held in disproportionate assets case

Three officers of the Odisha government were arrested by anti-corruption vigilance personnel for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income, an official said on Friday.

The accused were identified as R K Behera, Deputy Director of Factories & Boilers, Dillip Kumar Patel, executive officer of Brajarajnagar Municipality in Jharsuguda district, and Bidyadhar Behera, sub-assistant registrar of co-operative societies in Dhenkanal.

While R K Behera was arrested on Friday, the other two officers were taken into custody on Thursday, Superintendent of Police (Coordination), Vigilance Directorate, said in a statement.

Vigilance sleuths searched R K Beheras office rooms at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, his flat here, a three-storied building in Cuttack, an apartment in Puducherry, and the house of a relative at Cuttack on Thursday, it said.

He was arrested after he failed to satisfactorily account for assets worth Rs 1.49 crore. A vigilance court remanded him to judicial custody till September 16, it said.

Vigilance officers also searched Patel's government quarters at Jharsuguda, office room at Brajarajnagar, two buildings, and a petrol pump and a house owned by his relatives, the statement said. Following the search, it was found that Patel possesses assets worth Rs 3.35 crore, which is disproportionate to his know sources of income.

Raids were also conducted in Bidyadhar Behera's three-storey residential building, a flat in the state capital, a house in his native village and office room at Dhenkanal. The officer was found in possession of assets worth Rs 1.39 crore which he could not account for, the statement said. Patel and Bidyadhar Behera were remanded to judicial custody till September 16 and 15 respectively.