The Vigilance was on the lookout for the Assistant Tax Collector, Santosh Kumar Roul, for misappropriation of Rs 77,94,709 for the last 6 months. He kept shifting his locations by changing mobile SIMs.

A Vigilance team kept a close watch over the movement and activities of Roul through mobile tracking system. The team, led by a DSP, two Inspectors and an ASI succeeded in nabbing Roul from Hyderabad on October 1.

He was produced before Additional Metropolitan Magistrate-XIII, Kukatpally, Hyderabad on Monday and brought to Cuttack on transit remand for production before Special Judge, Vigilance, Cuttack. He will be forwarded to the Court on Wednesday.

The accused, Debasis Mohapatra, had demanded an illegal gratification of Rs 15,000 from an Ayurvedic assistant to prepare arrear salary bill and drawl of the same. He was caught red-handed while accepting an advance of Rs 5,000. The entire bribe money has been recovered from Mohapatra and seized, a Vigilance release said.

While case has been registered at Balasore Vigilance police station under Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, simultaneous searches are on at 3 locations liked to Mohapatra to ascertained whether he has accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

According to sources, simultaneous searches are on at four places in Nayagarh and Balugaon.

During the ongoing raids, 2 buildings, 6 plots,  Rs.1.35 lakh cash, over 300 gms of gold along with other assets have so far been unearthed.

During house searches so far, the following assets have been unearthed in the name of the Excise ASI and his family members;

1) A double storeyed building at Nayagarh old town with total area of approx 3,000 sqft

2) Another double storeyed building at Nayagarh old town

3) 6 plots in and around Nayagarh town. Details are given below:

i) A piece of land measuring area Ac 0.015 decimal vide plot No.453/454, Khata No.1219/2387 at mouza Chahali, Nayagarh.

ii) A piece of land measuring area Ac 0.12 decimal vide plots No.108/1624, 108/1625 & 108/1626 respectively under Khata No.272/220 at mouza Chahali, Nayagarh.

iii) A piece of land vide plot No.318/319, Khata No.233 at mouza Nayagarh town.

iv) A piece of land measuring area of Ac 1.21 decimal vide plot No.201, Khata No.134/3 at mouza Jagannathhpur, Nayagarh.

The measurement and valuation/assessment of the above buildings/ plots is being carried out by Vigilance Technical Wing.

4) Cash Rs.1,35,520/-.

5) Gold jewellery approx 300 gms.

6) 1 four-wheeler (Mahindra Bolero) and 3 two wheelers.

7) Bank, Insurance and other deposits are under verification.

Searches are continuing and further details are awaited.

1.Residential government quarter at Gandhi Nagar Area near Kali Puja Padia, Rayagada.

2.Office at Raniguda farm, Rayagada.

3.Flat-304, 3rd floor, Block-A, Ashirbad Plaza, Kalarhanga, Patia, Bhubaneswar.

4.G+2 storey under construction building over Khata No.- 200/391, Plot No- 16/708, Mouza- Srikoruan, Cuttack.

5.House of his relative located at Srikoruan villagem Cuttack.

6.Rented residential house of another relative at Shisu Vihar, Patia, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar.

7.House at native village Damodarpur, Kalinga Nagar, Jajpur.

The charges have been farmed under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 469, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and Sections 66-C/66-D of the Information Technology Act-2000, the sources said.

On September 23, 2020, the Crime branch had registered a case against Akash on the basis of a complaint lodged by Trilochan Mohanty, Deputy General Manager-Ethics of Tata Motors Ltd, Jamshedpur, accusing him of committing forgery by impersonating in-charge MD of the passenger car division of the company. Akash allegedly used the logo of TML and Tata Group and also the brand name of the company and collected money from the gullible job aspirants to provide them jobs in TML.

On November 29 the same year, the BJD expelled Panigrahy from the party for his alleged links with Akash. The MLA was arrested on December 3, 2020, for allegedly duping several unemployed persons from Ganjam district by promising them jobs in the company. He had collected the money on behalf of Akash.

The final chargesheet was submitted in the court on February 10, 2022.

The Crime Branch is expecting a quick start to the trail since it has sufficient evidence against the accused to ensure their conviction, sources added