Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), July 20: The Odisha Vigilance arrested Dinesh Kumar Rout, the sarpanch of Brundabahal gram panchayat in Kalahandi, on Saturday, a day after he was found with Rs 5.4 lakh in unaccounted cash. According to an official statement, Rout will be presented in court soon.
On Friday, an Odisha Vigilance team intercepted Rout’s car while he was traveling from Golamunda to Brundabahal in Kalahandi district and discovered Rs 5.4 lakh in cash. Rout could not provide a satisfactory explanation for the source of the money, leading to its seizure along with the vehicle he was in.
The Vigilance suspects the cash may be bribe money collected by Rout from contractors involved in various development projects within the panchayat area. Following the interception, searches are being conducted at two locations linked to Rout to investigate whether he has accumulated assets beyond his known sources of income. Rout is also being interrogated to determine the source of the cash.
