Bhubaneswar: Vigilance sleuths on Tuesday arrested Narayan Chandra Nayak, the sub-collector of Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district, for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets said to be 130% more than his known sources of income. Nayak, a 1997 batch Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer, could not provide satisfactory answer for owning properties beyond his known sources of income.
The vigilance cell registered a case against Narayan and forwarded him to court on Tuesday. “The sub-collector possessed disproportionate assets to the tune of 130% of his known sources of income, which he could not account for satisfactorily,” a release from vigilance department read.
Narayan, a Class-1 officer, owned 14 high-value plots, including seven located at prime areas in Bhubaneswar, six big plots in Bhadrak, and one in Pipili, Puri.
“The registered sale deed value comes to approximately Rs 1.4 crore. However, the actual value is likely to be much higher. Undervaluation of the plots during registration is suspected. A thorough probe has been initiated in this regard,” said a vigilance officer.
Besides plots, Nayak also possessed three multi-storeyed buildings, including an under-construction three-storey building in Jharpada, Bhubaneswar. The double-storey building at Kaunsa and another two-storey building at Galepur, Bhadrak, were also unearthed by vigilance.
Nayak had bank, insurance, and postal deposits of Rs 34.57 lakh, gold weighing 366 grams, and cash over Rs 1.48 lakh, the vigilance statement said. After a thorough search, inventory, and further enquiry, Nayak was found to be in possession of assets that was 130% in excess of his known sources of income. A two-wheeler and household articles worth around Rs 15.5 lakh were also detected.
Nayak served as assistant settlement officer, Kalahandi and additional tehsildar, Bhawanipatna from 1999 to 2004. He was the BDO at Khariar, Dasarathpur, and Balianta block offices between 2014 and 2023. He was posted as Kamakhyanagar sub-collector in 2023.