Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance Sunday arrested a government engineer, a day after unearthing assets worth crores of rupees, including more than Rs 2 crore in cash, five multi-storey buildings, 14 high-value plots, 500 gm of gold jewellery and deposits worth over Rs 45 lakh.
Baikuntha Nath Behera, assistant executive engineer, Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Baliguda in Kandhamal district, has been placed under arrest for possession of disproportionate assets to his known source of income, the Vigilance said in a statement.
During raids on properties linked to Behera, the department found at least five lockers in the names of Behera and his wife. One of the lockers has not yet been opened, said a vigilance officer.
According to the Vigilance department, Behera joined government service in 1999 as a junior engineer (civil) at Nabarangpur block with a monthly salary of Rs 6,000. He later served in various positions under the ITDA and other government establishments in Nabarangpur and Udala.
He was promoted to the post of assistant engineer in October 2016 and subsequently posted at ITDA, Nabarangpur. In February 2026, he was promoted as assistant executive engineer and posted at ITDA, Baliguda, where he continues to serve.
PTI