Koraput: Following second day of search on DA charge, Vigilance traced more cash including gold and silver ornaments kept in bank locker of assistant engineer of Sunabeda Municipality in Koraput Manoj Kumar Patra, a senior sleuth informed Sunday.
According to the source, the locker of Patra in Union Bank branch at Pokhariput in Bhubaneswar was searched by the officials in presence of the assistant engineer and witnesses. With this, the total seizures have reached Rs 28.61 lakh in cash, 369.10 grams in gold and 288.51 grams in silver worth over Rs 11.44 Lakh, respectively.
During Vigilance raids, assets worth crores of rupees unearthed so far, which were in possession of the engineer Patra and his wife, also include a 3BHK flat at Pokhariput in Bhubaneswar worth around Rs 80 lakh, a two-storey building in Berhampur worth Rs 50.57 lakh.
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In addition, seven plots including one in Bhubaneswar and three more each in Berhampur and Koraput (undervaluation is suspected during registration), fixed deposits, bank, insurance and postal deposits (a total to the tune of Rs 40 lakh), household articles worth over Rs 16.59 lakh, a Hyundai Venue car worth Rs 12.88 lakh, 2 two-wheelers (Honda Unicorn worth Rs 1,10,000/- and TVS Jupiter worth around Rs 59,500/-) have been unearthed by the Vigilance sleuths.
Above furnished valuations of Patra’s movable and immovable assets are as per preliminary estimate and the Vigilance Technical Wing is to carry out detailed measurements and evaluate the same later, which may increase the valuation further, the senior sleuth clarified.
It is pertinent to mention, based on allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to Patra’s legal sources of income, the simultaneous searches were carried out on properties associated with the assistant engineer February 18 and 19. The searches were conducted at six different places in Khurda, Gajapati, Ganjam and Koraput district.
The six locations where searches were conducted are: residential Flat No-102, at Block A/2, 1st Floor, Kokila Palace Apartment, Phase-1, Pokhariput of Bhubaneswar, two-storey building at Plot No-900, Shakti Nagar, 4th Lane of Berhampur, ancestral house of Patra located at Bada Sitapur locality of Paralakhemundi town, residential building of a relative at Chandraprabha Street, 2nd Lane, Berhampur, residential quarters at Municipality Colony in Sunabeda town and chamber of the assistant engineer located at the municipality office.
Six teams of Odisha Vigilance were led by five DSPs, eight Inspectors and several other subordinate staff. The simultaneous searches were conducted on the strength of a warrant issued by the Special Vigilance Judge Court in Jeypore. Total valuation of Patra’s unearthed assets is likely to increase and a detailed probe is still underway.
PNN
