Bhubaneswar: The state Vigilance claimed to have unearthed a massive amount of movable and immovable properties linked to senior state Transport department official during searches at his residence at Maitri Vihar here, Thursday.
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A Vigilance official said the disproportionate assets recovered from the residence of Pradeep Kumar Mohanty, posted as a Deputy Commissioner in the State Transport Authority (STA) include Rs 15 lakh cash, about 1 kg gold, a fleet of vehicles and documents of several properties in and around the Capital City. Giving details, the official said the properties include four multi-storied buildings, 11 plots, a 14-acre farmhouse which are registered in Mohanty’s name. The movable properties include three gold biscuits (yet to be weighed), 700 gm gold ornaments, three four-wheelers, and a motorcycle. The official said the seized vehicles are expensive sports utility vehicles (SUVs). All the properties have been attached pending investigation, he said. During initial probe, the Vigilance sleuths allegedly found that Mohanty had paid Rs 1 crore towards the purchase of a 4-bhk flat in Raghunathpur area of the City. “Three plots have been located in Nayagarh, six more are in Khordha, while one each is located in Patia and Khandagiri, respectively”, he added. The officer said the STA official’s bank accounts, postal, and insurance deposits are presently being scrutinised for further information.