Bhubaneswar/Koraput: A forest official was arrested in Odisha Saturday for the possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, the Vigilance department said.
Anti-corruption Vigilance sleuths arrested Deputy Ranger Rama Chandra Nepak for the possession of Rs 1.43 crore in cash, a multi-storeyed building, three flats, two high-value plots, bank deposits of over Rs 1.33 crore, 1.5 kg of gold, 4.6 kg of silver, two cars, assets he could not account for satisfactorily, an official statement said.
“RC Nepak, Deputy Ranger, Jeypore Forest Range, Koraput has been placed under arrest by Odisha Vigilance and will be forwarded today to the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Jeypore for possession of disproportionate assets (DA) beyond his known sources of income,” the department said in the statement, adding that a case has been registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Investigation into the disproportionate assets case would continue, it said.
The Vigilance department Friday launched a search operation at six locations of Nepak, currently serving as deputy ranger-cum-in-charge ranger of Jeypore Forest Range, based on an allegation of possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Though the officer was drawing a gross monthly salary of Rs 76,880 (net Rs 69,680), cash found in his house locker was Rs 1.43 crore. Nepak began his career on March 9, 1989, as a village forest worker under the social forestry division in Koraput.
PTI
