Contract employee bought 60 plots in 5 years of service

Odisha anti-corruption bureau recovers sale deeds in searches

Odisha’s anti-corruption bureau officials have come across a contract employee who purchased 60 plots in the first five years of his service period.

The accused Bikash Kumar Behera is working as Gram Panchayat Technical Assistant (GPTA) in the rank of a junior engineer.

“The GPTA has not earned more than ₹10 lakh in his total service period, but we have detected movable and immovable properties, worth over ₹1.02 crore from his possession,” said Birendra Nayak, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Vigilance), Rourkela.

Mr. Nayak said as a GPTA, his job responsibilities included technical supervision of various development works such as construction of check dams and implantation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

“In the next six months, his job would have been regularised. He would have started a career as full-time GPTA,” said the vigilance officer.

Three teams of the vigilance department, comprising four deputy superintendents, two inspectors and other staff, conducted simultaneous searches in three places in Deogarh district on Monday.

They found he owned a double-storey building at Balam in Deogarh district, 60 plots — 59 of them in Deogarh and one in Sambalpur town — worth ₹50.68 lakh.

“We found sale deeds of plots kept in one place. The 59 plots are situated on the outskirts of Deogarh district headquarter town and mostly in village areas. He appears to have profound greed for owning plots,” said Mr. Nayak. Vigilance sources said none of the plots was inherited by the contractual employee.

A four-wheeler, bank deposits of ₹6.61 lakh, insurance deposits over ₹21.15 lakh, gold ornaments weighing 386 grams and ₹2.99 lakh in cash were recovered from him.

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