Bhubaneswar, May 31 —Odisha Vigilance on Friday recovered more than ₹2 crore in cash from the residences of a senior government engineer during simultaneous raids across multiple locations in the state, in what officials described as a major crackdown on alleged corruption.
The raids targeted Baikuntha Nath Sarangi, Chief Engineer (Plan Roads), Rural Works Division, Bhubaneswar, after the anti-corruption wing of the Odisha Police obtained search warrants from the Special Judge, Vigilance, Angul.
So far, officials said, around ₹1 crore in ₹500 denomination notes was seized from Sarangi’s Bhubaneswar flat. Another ₹1.1 crore was recovered from his residence in Angul district.
“In a dramatic moment, Sarangi was seen throwing bundles of ₹500 notes out the window of his Bhubaneswar flat when vigilance officers arrived,” an official said. “The cash was recovered in the presence of independent witnesses.”
Sarangi is being investigated for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Vigilance teams also raided his office chamber in Bhubaneswar, as well as his two-storey house in Karadagadia (Angul), and flats located in Siula (Pipili, Puri district) and Bhubaneswar. Searches extended to his ancestral home and the residences of his relatives in Angul district.
The full extent of Sarangi’s assets is still being assessed, and the search operation remains underway. “We suspect a large network and further details will emerge as the investigation progresses,” a senior vigilance official said.
