Odisha Vigilance has detained Prasannajit Das, a superintending engineer of the Mahanadi Northern Division, and seized Rs 21,88,620 in cash from his vehicle and rented flat in Bhubaneswar during an investigation into an alleged bribe from a contractor, The Samaja reported.
The vigilance team stopped Das’s vehicle near AG Square in Bhubaneswar late at night and searched it. The operation reportedly resulted in the seizure of Rs 7,28,620 in cash. According to the report, Das could not provide a satisfactory explanation for the source of the money, after which the cash was seized.
The authorities then searched his rented flat in the Ghatikia area of Bhubaneswar on Saturday morning. A further Rs 14 lakh was reportedly recovered from the premises. The two seizures together total Rs 21,88,620, according to the report.
The case concerns an allegation that Das accepted a bribe from a contractor. The supplied report does not establish that the allegation has been proved, and it does not provide details about the contractor, the alleged transaction or the specific public works involved.
Das is associated with the Mahanadi Northern Division, a public works administrative unit. Allegations involving officials responsible for public infrastructure can affect how contracts, payments and project decisions are viewed by contractors and citizens. However, the information supplied does not identify any particular project linked to the investigation.
Vigilance officials have also continued searches at Das’s ancestral home in Bargarh, according to The Samaja. The searches in Bhubaneswar and Bargarh form part of the ongoing investigation into the cash seizure and the alleged bribery transaction.
The report said Das was being kept in custody while the investigation continued. It did not specify whether a formal case had been registered, whether an arrest had been made, or what further legal action the vigilance authorities planned to take.
The immediate official next step is the continuation of the searches and investigation at the locations linked to the engineer. Further details about the alleged bribe, the source of the cash and any formal charges would depend on the findings of the vigilance inquiry.
