Vigilance: Chief Engineer Arrested for Amassing Disproportionate Assets | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Vigilance sleuths on Saturday arrested Pravas Kumar Pradhan, chief engineer of Anandpur barrage division, for amassing alleged disproportionate assets, which included 85 plots. Pradhan, who was promoted to the post of chief engineer in July, had declared he owned only a few plots in a recent property disclosure statement.
Pradhan was remanded in judicial custody after his bail plea was rejected.
Besides the 85 plots, search by vigilance officers unearthed disproportionate assets, including a five-storey building, a market complex, 335 grams of gold ornaments, bank deposits of Rs 78 lakh and Rs 11.7 lakh cash.
This is the third arrest of a govt officer in a disproportionate assets case in the state in less than two weeks.
Pradhan, who hails from Balasore district, joined as an engineer in 1994. He served as assistant engineer in Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts for three and nine years, respectively. He worked in Bhadrak and Kendrapada too. In Dec 2020, he returned to Balasore after being promoted as executive engineer. He became a superintending engineer in 2021.
Sources said a team of 20 vigilance officers, including two additional SPs, four DSPs, six inspectors and seven ASIs carried out raids at Pradhan’s parental home at Badabazar in Jaleswar and Balasore.
Multiple teams are raiding the houses of Pradhan’s relatives in Mahinsamunda, Baliapal, Balasore, govt quarters at Irrigation colony near ITI chowk, Balasore and SE division in Balasore. Houses of his close associates at Santia, Jaleswar and Balasore are also being searched.
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