Odisha Vigilance seizes gold worth Rs 84 lakh from engineer's locker
The recovery of 606 grams of gold ornaments follows the arrest of former superintending engineer Prasanjit Das last month.
Odisha Vigilance officials recovered gold ornaments weighing 606.30 grams, valued at approximately Rs 84 lakh, from a bank locker in Bargarh on Wednesday. The locker was operated by Prasanjit Das, the Superintending Engineer of Mahanadi Northern Division at Jagatpur in Kataka.
According to reports from Urban Acres and Odisha Bytes, the seizure occurred during a three-day police remand granted by a Special Judge in Bhubaneswar from November 2 to 4, 2026. Officials escorted Das to an Axis Bank branch in Baragada to inventory the locker as part of a disproportionate assets investigation.
The investigation follows the arrest of Das on October 17 after Vigilance teams intercepted his vehicle near AG Square in Bhubaneswar. During that interception, officials found Rs 7,28,620 in suspected ill-gotten cash.
Subsequent searches at a rented flat in Ghatikia and a paternal house in Baragada resulted in the recovery of an additional Rs 14.60 lakh. This brought the total cash seized to Rs 21,88,620, for which Das reportedly could not provide a satisfactory explanation.
The case is registered at the Bhubaneswar Vigilance police station under the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Das joined government service as an Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil) in 2016 and was promoted to his current position in June 2026.