Odisha Vigilance : Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Nov 21: Odisha Vigilance officials arrested Suresh Kumar Panigrahi, the Civil Supplies Officer (CSO) of Sonepur, on charges of amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The arrest followed raids on Wednesday, which uncovered two buildings, 19 plots, and financial deposits worth Rs 1.72 crore at various locations linked to Panigrahi, according to a statement from the Vigilance Department on Thursday.
During the searches, Panigrahi was found to possess significant assets, including two buildings, a farmhouse spread over 4 acres of land with 500 teak trees, and 19 plots in various districts such as Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Balangir, and Bargarh. The assets also included bank deposits exceeding Rs 1.72 crore, Rs 1.49 lakh in cash, and several vehicles, including a Maruti Swift and two two-wheelers. Panigrahi could not provide satisfactory explanations for these assets.
Additionally, the authorities suspect benami investments in a petrol pump, fly ash factory, and a JCB machine, which are believed to be in the name of others. The assets found in Panigrahi’s name and those of his family members include a double-storey building in Balangir, 19 plots in various towns, and a farmhouse in Bargarh district. The technical wing of the Vigilance Department is currently conducting the valuation and assessment of these properties, and one locker at the SBI branch in Balangir remains unopened.
