Salary Rs 9,300, property worth crores! Corrupt Odisha govt engineer caught by Vigilance

In a startling case of alleged disproportionate assets in Odisha’s Ganjam , an irrigation official with a modest monthly salary of just Rs 9,300 has been caught with properties worth crores. Panchu Behera, currently serving as Assistant Engineer (AE) and SDO of the DAHA Irrigation Sub-Division under Bhanjanagar Irrigation Division, has left the Vigilance team stunned with his assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. During the raids, Vigilance officials unearthed significant assets, including cash amounting to Rs 18.90 lakh. Among the major findings were a concrete mixer machine valued at around Rs 57 lakh and a JCB machine worth approximately Rs 37 lakh. Investigators also traced a multi-storeyed building in Berhampur, along with five plots of land, about 380 grams of gold, and four vehicles. According to Vigilance officials, Behera had joined government service in 2011 as a contractual Assistant Engineer with a salary of Rs 9,300 per month. However, based on allegations that he amassed wealth far beyond his known sources of income, simultaneous raids were conducted at five locations linked to him across the district. The searches are being conducted by a team comprising three DSPs, seven Inspectors, and other supporting staff, under warrants issued by the Special Judge, Vigilance, Berhampur. Officials say the scale of assets in comparison to his initial earnings has raised serious red flags, pointing towards possible corruption and illegal accumulation of wealth over the years. Further investigation is underway to determine the exact valuation of the seized assets and to verify income sources.