Odisha vigilance unearths record disproportionate assets owned by government officer

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha police housing and welfare corporation’s deputy manager Pratap Samal, whose properties were raided by the vigilance directorate on Tuesday, owned over Rs 14.87 crore disproportionate assets (DA), which is 1021% more than his known sources of income.
This is the all-time high detection of disproportionate assets owned by a government employee in the history of Odisha vigilance. Detection of DA worth around Rs 9.35 crore in the name of former Indian Forest Service officer Abhay Kant Pathak was the highest until now.
Samal, who was detained during the raid on Tuesday, was arrested on Wednesday. The vigilance also registered a case against Samal’s wife Sasmita for allegedly abetting her husband’s corrupt practices. Samal had purchased almost all his properties in Sasmita’s name.
“Valuation of the disproportionate assets unearthed so far is to the tune of Rs 14,87,41,194. It is 1021% more than his known sources of income. Efforts are on to trace his more assets, if any. A case has been registered against Samal and his wife. Samal has been arrested and sent to judicial custody,” a senior vigilance officer said.
The anti-corruption wing said at least 25 plots owned by the couple would be worth about Rs 3.41 crore. Valuation of his 5-storey building at Gothapatna in Bhubaneswar outskirts is over Rs 3.89 crore. Estimation of other buildings in Bhubaneswar and Bhadrak, owned by the couple, was being done by a technical unit of the vigilance.
“We also found over Rs 1.61 crore bank deposits in the names of Samal and his family. He also paid insurance premiums to the tune of nearly Rs 57.72 lakh. His bank accounts have been frozen. If required, we will take him on remand for interrogation,” the vigilance officer said.
It must be noted Samal attempted to dispose of his ill-gotten wealth by dumping around Rs 20 lakh cash onto the terrace of his neighbour during the vigilance raid on Tuesday.
Vigilance said Samal, who did a diploma in civil engineering and joined the police housing corporation on August 14, 1988 as a junior engineer, was last drawing around Rs 71,000 gross salary per month. After he was promoted to the rank of deputy manager in 2013, he worked in Rourkela, Balangir, Keonjhar and Cuttack before joining the head office in Bhubaneswar in 2019.
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