Odisha govt official arrested over properties worth Rs 6.53 Cr, including 48 1BHK flats

A Government officer in Odisha was arrested by the Anti-Corruption vigilance sleuths of Odisha Police over possession of assets worth of Rs 6.53 crore on Wednesday. The vigilance department officials on Tuesday conducted simultaneous raids on the properties of Assistant Executive Engineer Rabindra Nath Pradhan who was found to own numerous properties including 48 one-bedroom flats.

The vigilance department conducted raids after allegations were raised on Pradhan for acquiring assets disproportionate to the known sources of income.

The other properties of Pradhan included two double storied buildings, one single room house, eight plots, two four-wheelers, deposits in different banks, investment in insurance policies, gold and silver ornaments, cash and household articles, a vigilance release said.

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'No satisfactory answer'

According to PTI, there were three companies registered under the name of Pradhan's son as director, of which two were real estate companies and one was a food processing and preservation company. His son is also a part of the company dealing with agriculture products.

Vigilance SP M Radhakrushna said Pradhan had no satisfactory answers over questions on the properties that were under his possession and a case has been registered under section 13(2), 13(1)(b) Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

Pradhan has been produced before the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar after which he was sent to judicial custody till November 3. He also applied for bail which got rejected.

The Vigilance department has iterated that Pradhan's case is the first of its kind in the history of Odisha Vigilance as no government official was ever found to possess properties as huge as Pradhan. 

"The total assets of Rabindra Nath Pradhan, Assistant Executive Engineer, GPH Division-II, Bhubaneswar and his family members has been calculated as Rs 6,53,86,710," the vigilance release said.

(With PTI inputs and Representative Image of ANI)

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