Bhubaneswar, 30 July (H.S.): In a significant development, Odisha Vigilance officials have uncovered substantial disproportionate assets during a raid on Assistant Engineer Ashok Kumar Panda of the R&B Division-III, Bhubaneswar. The investigation, initially centered on another Assistant Engineer, Raja Kishore Jena, revealed that both officers had jointly purchased a flat in their wives' names at Cosmopolis, Khandagiri, suggesting close financial links and shared property ownership.
On July 29, a Vigilance team arrived to search Panda’s flat (H-164, Tower-H, Cosmopolis), but found it locked from the outside. Despite repeated attempts, Panda could not be reached. Later that night, as the team prepared to seal the premises, it was discovered that Panda and his family were actually inside the apartment, having bolted the door from within. Once aware that sealing was imminent, Panda finally opened the door.
The following day, a bag was found hanging outside the flat’s window, leading to a dramatic turn in the investigation. Panda later confessed to throwing the bag in an attempt to evade detection. Upon inspection, the bag was found to contain Rs 1 lakh in cash, 60 grams of gold ornaments, a 10-gram silver coin, an Apple iPhone, vehicle keys, documents, and an original Record of Rights (RoR).
Further searches revealed multiple high-value assets in the names of Panda and his family members, including two commercial shops in Utkal Kanika Galleria (Kalpana, Bhubaneswar), one shop in Symphony Mall (Pahal), a four-storied building at Somnath Nagar, a three-storied building in Dumduma Housing Board Colony, the Cosmopolis flat, a Volkswagen Polo (OD 02 T-8607), and postal savings worth Rs 17 lakh across three accounts.
Vigilance officials confirmed that additional searches and verifications are underway. Raja Kishore Jena is also under scrutiny for his involvement in the jointly held properties and financial transactions.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
