Vigilance Targets Senior Forest Department Official Over Allegations of Disproportionate Wealth
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Bhubaneswar, Dec 6 (NationPress) The Odisha Vigilance on Friday discovered substantial assets worth crores following simultaneous house searches at various locations associated with a senior official of the state forest department.
"Based on allegations regarding the possession of assets disproportionate to the known sources of income, house searches were carried out at the properties of Rebati Raman Joshi, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) of Hirakud WildLife Division, Sambalpur, across nine locations in Sambalpur and Bargarh districts on Friday," stated a vigilance official.
The searches included Joshi’s ancestral home in the Bijepur area of Bargarh district, along with his government accommodation and office chamber in Sambalpur. Nine teams from Odisha Vigilance, consisting of three Deputy Superintendents of Police, ten inspectors, and additional support staff, were involved in the operation carried out on that day.
So far, investigators have discovered that Joshi and his family hold a triple-storeyed property in Ainthapali, Sambalpur, valued at over Rs 1.80 crore, alongside two additional buildings, one being commercial in Sambalpur, four high-value flats, and seven plots, four of which are located in prominent areas of Sambalpur town, with three others in Padampur, Bargarh district.
According to vigilance sources, the assessment and appraisal of these buildings, flats, and plots are currently being conducted by the Vigilance Technical Wing.
In addition, authorities uncovered cash amounting to Rs 14,71,200, gold jewelry weighing 150 grams, and silver ornaments weighing 300 grams, along with bank deposits and insurance policies totaling Rs 31,31,849, one two-wheeler, and household items estimated at Rs 9.13 lakhs.
Vigilance officials are reportedly interrogating ACF Joshi to clarify the origins of these assets.
As reported, the state vigilance has initiated 90 cases against public servants in the last five months, from June 1, 2024, to October 31, 2024.
The vigilance department recorded the highest number of cases, totaling 20, against officials from the Revenue Department, while 18 officials from the Panchayati Raj Department have also come under scrutiny during this time.
