Bhubaneswar : The Odisha Vigilance Department on Wednesday carried out simultaneous raids at five locations linked to Ashok Panda, Assistant Engineer of Roads and Buildings Division-3 in Bhubaneswar. The operation was launched following allegations of possession of assets disproportionate to known sources of income.
A 15-member Vigilance team conducted raids at multiple premises, including a flat in the upscale Cosmopolis area. Officials recovered expensive items including luxury watches, branded sunglasses, and diamond-studded ornaments. Gold jewellery and other valuables were also seized during the operation.
According to sources, Panda reportedly attempted to destroy evidence by tearing apart a bag full of currency notes during the raid. Vigilance had been monitoring his financial activities for several months. Notably, two other government officials were raided recently in similar corruption cases, with large amounts of cash and gold seized.
Further investigation into Panda’s assets and financial records is currently underway.
