Odisha Vigilance officials on Friday uncovered multi-crore assets, including 49 premium plots, two farmhouses, nearly a kilogram of gold jewellery, 2.5 kg of silver, and liquid cash during raids on a government engineer’s properties in Koraput district.
The anti-corruption crackdown was conducted against Satyanarayan Sethy, an assistant executive engineer posted in the Kotpad block, following allegations that he amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, Vigilance SP (Jeypore Division) S Susree said.
Investigators carried out simultaneous searches at seven separate located linked to Sethy, including his private residences, real estate holdings, and official workspace.
In the course of the operation, Vigilance teams detected 49 prime plots of land, two expansive farmhouses, approximately 940 grams of gold ornaments, 2.5 kg of silver articles, and Rs 5.48 lakh in hard cash.
The SP further revealed that the officials also traced two flats and bank and postal deposits worth Rs 60.92 lakh and those were under verification.
One of the farmhouses, sprawling across 10.03 acres and featuring thriving mango and eucalyptus groves, was found in the Boriguma block of Koraput district.
A second farmhouse property, encompassing 4.35 acres dedicated to Nilgiri cultivation, was also uncovered within the same locality, according to Susree.
As further search operation is going on, more assets are likely to be unearthed, another officer said.
The massive operation involved seven teams of Odisha Vigilance, led by seven DSPs, nine inspectors, 11 ASIs, and other supporting staff conducted the search on the strength of search warrants issued by the court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Jeypore, he said.
According to Vigilance officials, Sethy entered government service in 1998 as a junior engineer under the chief engineer’s office in the Upper Kolab Division, Koraput, drawing a starting monthly salary of just Rs 7,100.
He climbed the ranks to assistant engineer in 2015 with a posting at the Kotpad block, before being reassigned to the neighbouring Boriguma block within the same district in June 2020.
He was promoted to the rank of assistant executive engineer in 2025.
