BHUBANESWAR: Baikuntha Nath Behera, an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) with the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in Baliguda, Kandhamal district, is at the centre of a major Odisha Vigilance disproportionate assets probe after raids allegedly uncovered cash, gold, properties and bank deposits worth crores across multiple locations in the state.
Career Progression from Junior Engineer to AEE
Behera entered government service in 1999 as a junior engineer (civil) with a monthly salary of approximately Rs 6,000. Over the past two decades, he climbed the engineering cadre, earning a promotion to assistant engineer in 2016 and later elevation to AEE. At the time of the raids, he was serving at ITDA Baliguda.
Massive Seizures During Simultaneous Searches
According to Vigilance officials, simultaneous searches were conducted at multiple locations in Bhubaneswar, Jajpur, Baripada and Kandhamal. The operations led to the detection of alleged assets including over Rs 2 crore in cash, 341 grams of gold jewellery, fixed deposits worth more than Rs 45 lakh, and multiple high-value immovable properties. Officials confirmed that at least four bank lockers linked to Behera and his family were identified, with cash recovered from two lockers. Counting and verification of currency is still underway.
Properties Under Scrutiny
Preliminary findings suggest that Behera and his family members own around 13 high-value plots and at least five multi-storey buildings. These include residential properties in prime locations of Bhubaneswar and a double-storey building in Jajpur’s Dharmasala area. The Vigilance technical wing is currently assessing the market value of the properties to determine the extent of alleged disproportionate assets.
Coordinated Raids and Ongoing Investigation
The searches were carried out simultaneously under warrants issued by the Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar, involving multiple teams of senior officers, DSPs and inspectors. Officials stated that investigations are ongoing and further recoveries cannot be ruled out as verification of documents, bank accounts and property records continues.
Parallel Bribery Arrest
In a parallel operation, Vigilance officials also arrested a lineman of the Narsinghpur Electrical Section under TPCODL in Cuttack district for allegedly accepting a Rs 15,000 bribe from a farmer for replacing a damaged electric pole.
