Odisha Vigilance arrested an Assistant Engineer of the Water Resources Department in Ganjam district on Friday on charges of amassing wealth that exceeds his known sources of income by a staggering 334 per cent.
The accused official, identified as Panchu Behera, currently serves as the SDO at the DAHA Irrigation Sub-Division under the Bhanjanagar Irrigation Division. Following his arrest, he was produced before the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Berhampur, which remanded him to judicial custody.
The arrest follows a series of intensive raids conducted on Thursday. During the operation, Vigilance sleuths unearthed assets worth crores, including Rs 18.90 lakh in liquid cash, triggered by allegations that Behera had accumulated significant wealth through illicit means.
The searches were conducted at five locations across the district – Behera’s official quarters and office chamber in Bhanjanagar, a relative’s residence in Berhampur, and his ancestral home in Polasara.
The operation was executed by five teams led by three Deputy Superintendents of Police and seven Inspectors. The raids were carried out under the authority of search warrants issued by the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Berhampur.
During the searches, officials found Behera and his family members in possession of one multi-storeyed building, five landed plots in different areas of Berhampur city, and cash worth Rs 18,90,800 (Rs 15.13 lakh from the residence in Berhampur and Rs 3,72,800 from the government quarters in Bhanjanagar).
Beyond real estate and cash, officials recovered 568 grams of gold—which included 178 grams in gold coins—alongside bank, postal, and insurance deposits totalling roughly Rs 90 lakh.
Besides, Behera was found to have an Ajax Argo 4300 concrete mixer machine purchased in 2024 for Rs 57 lakh, a Hyundai excavator purchased in 2025 for Rs 37 lakh, one four-wheeler, three two-wheelers, and household articles worth around Rs 8.57 lakh.
