Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Aug 6: The Odisha Vigilance today arrested Pradeep Kumar Rath, Additional Engineer at the Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC), for allegedly accumulating assets worth crores of rupees disproportionate to his known income sources. The arrest follows simultaneous searches at 12 locations on Monday, where significant assets were uncovered.
The Vigilance release revealed that Rath was found to possess two multi-story buildings, two high-value flats in Bhubaneswar, and 45 plots, including three in Dhenkanal worth Rs 1 crore. Additionally, items seized included 1 kg of gold, deposits totaling Rs 1.62 crore, two four-wheelers, two JCBs, an excavator, and a rock breaker, all of which he could not satisfactorily account for.
Rath and his family own a three-story building covering 6,660 sq ft at Satya Vihar, a building with a medicine store in Nayapalli, and two flats in Bhubaneswar. Another three-story building spanning 7,000 sq ft was found in Bhadrak. His properties also include plots in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Bhadrak, and Jajpur. Additional assets detected include silver ornaments weighing 300 grams, fixed deposits amounting to Rs 88 lakh, and investments in insurance policies totaling Rs 50 lakh.
Rath also operates a crusher unit in Dhenkanal. A case has been filed against him, and further investigation is ongoing.
