Bhubaneswar: Apart from investing his black money in the production of two Odia movies, the suspended deputy manager of Odisha Police Housing & Welfare Corporation (OPHWC) Pratap Kumar Samal also invested in buying shares of companies, an official source informed Saturday.
He had reportedly invested a whopping amount of Rs 1.07 crore in shares, the source added. This is in addition to the properties and cash worth Rs 14.87 crore which were already documented by the Vigilance department as disproportionate asset (DA) belonging to the deputy manager.
“Documents relating to investments in share market were recovered and seized. Invested amounts (not the present value) in shares and debentures by Samal was found to the tune of Rs.1,07,37,831,” a statement issued by the state Vigilance department mentioned.
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The Vigilance urged Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC) to provide information on Samal’s investment in more movies, if any.
Vigilance has detected that Samal and his spouse Sasmita earlier produced two Odia movies namely Siddhanta Mohapatra cast movie ‘Nari Akhire Nian’ in 2003 and the multi starrer film Bazi in 2005.
Further probe is still underway to ascertain if Samal has invested his black money in any other profitable activity, the official added.
Worth mentioning, the deputy manager’s spouse Sasmita Samal produced two movies and Sama was the associate producer in one of the movie. Based on a case registered by Odisha Vigilance under Sections 13(1)(B) and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, the husband and wife duo was arrested.
The Vigilance team had found Samal in possession of assets worth Rs 14.87 crore, 1021% more than his known sources of income.
PNN
