Odisha Vigilance raids Mayurbhanj R&B engineer over disproportionate assets
Synopsis
Odisha Vigilance descended on 10 properties across three districts on Monday, unearthing two multi-storey buildings, a five-acre farmhouse, 20 high-value plots, and cash linked to a Roads and Buildings engineer in Mayurbhanj — with two lockers and undisclosed financial investments still to be opened. A separate revenue inspector was caught the same day allegedly taking a ₹5,000 bribe.
Key Takeaways
Odisha Vigilance conducted simultaneous searches at 10 locations on 5 October 2026 against R&B Executive Engineer Arabinda Mohanty of Mayurbhanj .
Assets detected include two multi-storey buildings , a five-acre farmhouse with fish ponds and a poultry farm, 20 high-value plots near Balasore , and ₹2.77 lakh in cash.
Two lockers held by Mohanty's spouse and an associate are yet to be opened; financial investments are still being ascertained.
The technical team is still completing valuation of the buildings, farmhouse, and plots — the final asset figure is expected to rise.
In a separate incident, Revenue Inspector Niranjan Singh of Keshari Nagar Circle, Bhubaneswar , was arrested while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 .
Odisha Vigilance on Monday, 5 October 2026, uncovered movable and immovable assets worth several crores of rupees during simultaneous searches at properties linked to Arabinda Mohanty, Executive Engineer of the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Sub-Division at Betanoti under the R&B Division, Baripada, in Mayurbhanj district. The searches were conducted on allegations of possession of disproportionate assets (DA) beyond his known sources of income, officials said.
Scale and Scope of the Raids
Search teams fanned out across 10 locations in Mayurbhanj, Balasore, and Khordha districts simultaneously. The operation was led by five Deputy Superintendents of Police and comprised eight Inspectors along with supporting staff. Searches were conducted on the strength of warrants issued by the Special Judge, Vigilance, Baripada.
Assets Detected So Far
Vigilance sleuths have so far detected two multi-storey buildings, a five-acre farmhouse with two fish ponds and a poultry farm, 20 high-value plots in and around Balasore town, ₹2.77 lakh in cash, one four-wheeler, and two two-wheelers. The properties include a triple-storey building measuring approximately 3,500 sq ft at Angargadia in Balasore and a double-storey building of around 1,800 sq ft at Balianta on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar in Khordha district. The farmhouse is situated at Basantapur in Balasore district.
The agency's technical team is currently carrying out measurement and valuation of the buildings, farmhouse, and plots. Two lockers maintained by Mohanty's spouse and an associate are yet to be opened, while deposits and investments in financial instruments are still being ascertained, according to officials.
Separate Bribery Arrest in Bhubaneswar
In a separate action on the same day, Odisha Vigilance apprehended Niranjan Singh, a Revenue Inspector (RI) of Keshari Nagar Circle at Unit-VI in Bhubaneswar, while he was allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 from an applicant. According to officials, Singh allegedly sought the payment to process and forward an enquiry report for facilitating the issuance of a legal heir certificate following the death of the applicant's mother and younger brother.
Broader Anti-Corruption Push
Monday's actions form part of Odisha Vigilance's ongoing crackdown on corruption across the state's government machinery. The R&B department has historically been flagged as a high-risk zone for graft given its role in awarding and supervising road and infrastructure contracts. This is among a series of searches the agency has conducted in recent months targeting engineers and revenue officials across multiple districts. The final assessed value of the assets is likely to be significantly higher once valuations are complete and the unopened lockers and financial instruments are examined.
Point of View
A farmhouse, and 20 plots — points to a systemic problem rather than an isolated lapse. R&B departments routinely surface in corruption probes because their contract-oversight roles create sustained opportunities for illicit accumulation. Yet convictions in such cases remain rare, and asset recovery even rarer. The real test of this crackdown is not the headline detection but whether Vigilance follows through to a charge sheet, trial, and eventual attachment — a sequence that Odisha, like most states, has struggled to complete swiftly.
NationPress
5 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Arabinda Mohanty and why was he raided by Odisha Vigilance?
Arabinda Mohanty is the Executive Engineer of the Roads and Buildings Sub-Division at Betanoti, Baripada, in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha. Odisha Vigilance raided properties linked to him on 5 October 2026 on allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
What assets were found during the Odisha Vigilance raids on the R&B engineer?
Vigilance teams found two multi-storey buildings, a five-acre farmhouse with fish ponds and a poultry farm, 20 high-value plots near Balasore, ₹2.77 lakh in cash, one four-wheeler, and two two-wheelers. Two lockers and financial investments are yet to be assessed, so the total value is expected to increase.
How many locations were searched and which districts were covered?
Searches were conducted simultaneously at 10 locations across Mayurbhanj, Balasore, and Khordha districts. The operation was authorised by warrants from the Special Judge, Vigilance, Baripada.
Who else was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on the same day?
Revenue Inspector Niranjan Singh of Keshari Nagar Circle at Unit-VI in Bhubaneswar was apprehended on 5 October 2026 while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 to process an enquiry report for the issuance of a legal heir certificate.
What happens next in the Odisha Vigilance DA case against the R&B engineer?
The technical team is completing valuations of the buildings, farmhouse, and plots. Two unopened lockers and financial investments are under examination. Once the full asset picture is available, Vigilance is expected to file a formal charge sheet in the disproportionate assets case.
