Bhubaneswar, March 27 – The Odisha Vigilance department arrested an Assistant Engineer of the Water Resources Department in the Ganjam district on Friday, on charges of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, to the extent of 334 percent.
The accused official, Panchu Behera, is currently posted as SDO at the DAHA Irrigation Sub-Division, SE, Bhanjanagar Irrigation Division, in Ganjam district.
He was produced before the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Berhampur, which remanded him to judicial custody on Friday.
On Thursday, the vigilance sleuths unearthed assets worth crores, including Rs 18.90 lakh in cash, during simultaneous searches at multiple locations linked to Behera following allegations of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The searches were conducted at five locations in the district, including his official quarter and office chamber in Bhanjanagar; a relative’s house in Berhampur; and his ancestral home at Polasara.
As many as five teams of Odisha Vigilance, led by three Deputy Superintendents of Police, seven Inspectors, and other supporting staff, carried out the operation on the strength of search warrants issued by the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Berhampur.
During the searches, officials found Behera and his family members in possession of one multi-storeyed building, five landed plots in different areas of Berhampur city, and cash worth Rs 18,90,800 (Rs 15.13 lakh from the residence in Berhampur and Rs 3,72,800 from the government quarters in Bhanjanagar).
They also recovered gold ornaments weighing 568 grams, including 178 grams of gold coins, and deposits in bank, postal, and insurance accounts totalling around Rs 90 lakh.
In addition, Behera was found to have an Ajax Argo 4300 concrete mixer machine purchased in 2024 for Rs 57 lakh, a Hyundai excavator purchased in 2025 for Rs 37 lakh, one four-wheeler, three two-wheelers, and household articles worth around Rs 8.57 lakh.
