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Odisha rural works engineer amassed assets 385% more than his income, arrested

The anti-corruption vigilance wing of Odisha police has arrested an engineer in the rural works department for allegedly possessing Rs 2.45 crore of undisclosed wealth, which is 358 percent of his known sources of income.

Odisha rural works engineer amassed assets 385% more than his income, arrested

(Photo: SNS)

The anti-corruption vigilance wing of Odisha police has arrested an engineer in the rural works department for allegedly possessing Rs 2.45 crore of undisclosed wealth, which is 358 percent of his known sources of income.

Searches were conducted at five places in Bhadrak and Balasore districts for 48 hours following inputs that Pramoth Behuria, the assistant engineer of the Rural Works Division in Soro town of Balasore district, was possessing assets amassed illegally, the vigilance directorate said in a statement yesterday.

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Behuria was found in possession of 16 plots in Bhubaneswar and Bhadrak valued at Rs 1.04 crore, two double-story buildings, and Rs 1.83 lakh in unaccounted cash. He also has around 500 grams of gold and one kg of silver valued at Rs 17.7 lakh.

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After a thorough search, inventory, and further inquiry, the income, expenditure, and assets of Pramoth Kumar Behuria, Assistant Engineer were calculated and he was found in possession of assets disproportionate to the known sources of income to the tune of Rs. 2,45,27,563 (Rupees Two Crore Forty-five Lakh Twenty-seven Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-three) which constituted 358% of his known sources of income, the statement added.

Booked under sections 13(2) r/w 13(1)(b)/12 Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 as amended by Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, he was remanded to judicial custody. A case under the prevention of corruption act has also been registered against his spouse for complicity in the disproportionate asset case, the vigilance statement concluded.

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