An Odisha engineer who had thrown a carton filled with cash into a neighbour’s house to escape the scrutiny of anti-corruption sleuths was found to have amassed properties worth ₹14.87 crore — 1,021% of his known sources of income.
The amount, ₹14.87 crore, is the highest ever disproportionate income unearthed by the Odisha Vigilance Directorate.
Pratap Kumar Samal, working as the Deputy Manager in the Odisha Police Housing and Welfare Corporation (OPHWC), was arrested on Wednesday. Vigilance directorate officials detected ₹38.12 lakh cash from the possession of Mr. Samal.
For 45 minutes, the accused did not open doors of his Nayapalli house here on Tuesday on finding anti-corruption officials outside. He threw about ₹20 lakh of ill-gotten money into his neighbour’s house.
The Vigilance department completed searches on Wednesday. “The disproportionate assets unearthed so far are to the tune of ₹14,87,41,194, which come to 1,021% of the known sources of income,” it said.
Mr. Samal had joined the OPHWC in 1988 as a junior engineer at the Bhubaneswar head office. He was an estimator till 1994-95. He worked at Kendrapara and Deogarh. On promotion to the rank of deputy manager in 2013, Mr. Samal worked in Rourkela, Bolangir, Keonjhar and Cuttack. At present, his monthly salary is about ₹80,000.
The Vigilance department has found Mr. Samal in possession of 27 immovable properties, including high-value independent buildings, apartments and 17 patches of land in the name of his wife and son.
“As Mr. Samal and his spouse were found in possession of disproportionate assets, which he could not explain satisfactorily, cases have been filed against him and his wife Sasmita Samal,” the department said.
The registration value and stamp duty of 25 plots he purchased in his name and in his wife’s name are estimated at ₹3,41,58,412. According to a vigilance official, the actual price of these plots is much higher than the present valuation.
The valuation of a five-storey building at Gothapatna is ₹3,89,60,000 as per the self-declaration of Mr. Samal and his wife.
Deposits worth ₹1.61 crore have been found from bank accounts of Mr. Samal and his family members. He has also paid an insurance premium of ₹57,72,150.
