Odisha Vigilance: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Oct 8: Jitendra Kumar Padhy, the Executive Engineer of the Tel Irrigation Division in Sonepur, was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on charges of bribery and has been remanded to jail custody until October 21. He was apprehended while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 46,000 from a contractor to clear pending bills. Padhy was caught red-handed in his office chamber after the contractor filed a complaint, leading Vigilance officials to set up a trap.
Following the arrest, the officials recovered the entire bribe amount and conducted simultaneous searches at six locations to investigate Padhy’s disproportionate assets. The searches revealed substantial assets, including Rs 4.08 lakh in cash, a triple-storey building measuring 3,300 square feet in Sailashree Vihar, Bhubaneswar, a flat in Brundaban Enclave, Puri, two high-value plots in Pipili, Puri, and Laltikira, Bolangir, along with 18.67 acres of farmland in Badamba, Cuttack, which Padhy purchased in 2021.
The Vigilance Technical Wing is currently assessing the value of the farmland and an under-construction 1,600 sq. ft. two-storey building on the property. Additionally, Padhy’s bank and other financial deposits are under verification. A case has been registered, and further investigations are ongoing.
