Odisha Official Arrested For Disproportionate Assets Worth Rs 10 Crore

A senior official of the Industrial Development Corporation of Odisha Limited (IDCOL) was arrested on Thursday for possessing disproportionate assets worth over Rs 10 crore, the vigilance department said.

Gaya Santara, joint manager of IDCOL at Ampavalli limestone mines in Simagoda in Koraput district, was arrested by vigilance sleuths and cases under sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 were registered against him.

During searches conducted by sleuths from December 20-22, many properties of the official, including a three-storey building and a four-storey building in Bhubaneswar, seven plots in prime locations of the capital city, five plots in Jajpur and one in Nayagarh, were unearthed, a statement said.

He was also in the possession of bank deposits worth Rs 4.4 crore, Rs 1.06 crore in cash, 1.96 kg of gold, 7.5 kg of silver, two four-wheelers and four two-wheelers, it said.

Meanwhile, Vigilance Director Y K Jethwa, in a statement, said that the department has registered 270 cases this year, of which 75 are disproportionate assets cases and 114 are trap cases.

He said of the 270 cases, 60 are against class 1 officials, which is the highest in the last five years.

He said there have been a record cash seizures this year.

The top four cash seizures in the history of Odisha Vigilance happened this year with Rs 7 crore seized, he said.

Overall, Rs 160 crores worth disproportionate assets were seized this year. There have been 87 convictions this year, he said.

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