Odisha Vigilance arrested irrigation department superintending engineer Prasanjit Das after a nine-hour operation across Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, recovering more than Rs 21 lakh in cash allegedly linked to bribes collected from contractors. The operation began on Friday afternoon and ended with Das being intercepted near AG Square in Bhubaneswar at around 10.30 pm, according to the Times of India report.
Vigilance officials acted on specific intelligence that Das had summoned contractors to the Jagatpur irrigation inspection bungalow and collected illegal gratification from them. Teams were deployed in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar to monitor his movements, but investigators said the engineer repeatedly changed locations, vehicles and meeting points in an effort to evade surveillance.
The tracking operation eventually led officials to the Delta Irrigation Inspection Bungalow near Delta Square in Bhubaneswar, where Das was attending a dinner gathering. Investigators traced his mobile phone to the area after he had changed his hired vehicle. Two vigilance officers in plain clothes reportedly entered the premises and mingled with guests while keeping the engineer under observation.
After the gathering ended, Das allegedly left in his official vehicle to meet another contractor. Vigilance teams followed the movement and intercepted the vehicle near AG Square. A search of the vehicle and Das’s possession led to the recovery of Rs 7.38 lakh in cash. The money is suspected by investigators to have been collected as illegal gratification from contractors.
At the same time, another vigilance team moved to Das’s apartment in Ghatikia, around 10 km from the interception point. The premises had been placed under surveillance after officials received information that additional cash could be concealed there. Following confirmation of the recovery from Das, the team searched the apartment and seized another Rs 14.6 lakh.
Together, the two recoveries amounted to approximately Rs 21.98 lakh. The report said Das was arrested on Saturday after the cash seizures. Odisha Vigilance then began simultaneous searches at multiple locations linked to the engineer as part of its investigation into the source of the money and possible corruption in contract-related works.
The case places a public irrigation official at the centre of an investigation involving contractors and alleged payments connected to government works. Irrigation departments oversee projects and assets that affect water management, agricultural activity and public spending, making the integrity of procurement and contract administration a key part of infrastructure delivery.
The supplied report does not establish whether any contractor has been arrested, identify the specific works allegedly linked to the payments, or state whether the recovered cash has been formally proved to be bribe money. Those questions remain part of the ongoing investigation. Vigilance officials are continuing searches and examining the source of the cash and the engineer’s dealings with contractors.
