Bhubaneswar, 24 July (H.S.): Odisha Vigilance officials have arrested Jagannath Pattnaik, Executive Engineer of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Acting on credible intelligence, Vigilance teams conducted simultaneous searches at multiple locations linked to Pattnaik. The investigation revealed substantial unaccounted assets, including three multi-storeyed buildings (one in Bhubaneswar and two in Gunupur), a farmhouse, three high-value plots in Bhubaneswar, 460 grams of gold, cash and deposits exceeding ₹80 lakh, a Grand Vitara SUV, a country-made firearm, and a pair of antler horns.
Unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the assets, Pattnaik was taken into custody. A case has been registered under Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station (Case No. 16/2025) in connection with the matter.
In a parallel development, a separate case has also been registered against him under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The Balipatna Forest Range under Khordha Wildlife Division has booked Pattnaik (OR Case No. 3 of 2025–26) for the illegal possession of antler horns, in violation of Sections 9, 49, and 51 of the Act.
He will be produced before the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar. Further investigation is underway.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
