Odisha Vigilance arrests AEE for 170% disproportionate assets, two panchayat staff in Koraput
Synopsis
Odisha Vigilance ran two simultaneous anti-corruption operations on 23 October — netting an R&B engineer sitting on assets 170% beyond his known income, complete with three buildings, a farmhouse, five vehicles, and gold, while separately arresting two panchayat staffers who allegedly faked development works to pocket ₹12.33 lakh of public money.
Key Takeaways
Tapan Sethi , AEE of R&B Sub-Division, Badachana, Jajpur , arrested on 23 October for disproportionate assets worth 170% above his known income.
Assets recovered include three multi-storey buildings across Kataka, Puri, and Bhubaneswar, a 1.02-acre farmhouse , three plots, 747 g of gold , ₹20.87 lakh in deposits, and six vehicles .
Shankar and Laikhana Nayak of Banuaguda Gram Panchayat, Koraput arrested for allegedly embezzling over ₹12.33 lakh across four government projects .
The two panchayat accused allegedly falsified records to show completion of development works never carried out on the ground.
All three accused forwarded to respective Vigilance Special Courts in Cuttack and Jayapur.
Odisha Vigilance on Friday, 23 October arrested an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) in Jajpur district for allegedly accumulating disproportionate assets worth 170% above his known sources of income, while separately nabbing two grassroots panchayat functionaries in Koraput district for allegedly embezzling public funds worth over ₹12.33 lakh. The twin operations underscore a sustained anti-corruption drive by Odisha's vigilance apparatus targeting government servants across ranks.
Assets Unearthed in Jajpur Case
The accused engineer, Tapan Sethi, is presently posted as AEE of the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Sub-Division, Badachana, under the SE, R&B Division, Charbatia, Choudwar in Kataka district. Simultaneous searches at multiple locations revealed that Sethi and his family members were in possession of immovable and movable assets worth crores.
Properties uncovered include a triple-storey building at CDA Sector-7 in Kataka, a 3,600 sq ft triple-storey building at Sidha Mahavir in Puri, and a 2,200 sq ft double-storey building at Kantabada in Bhubaneswar. Sleuths also found a 1.02-acre farmhouse at Kantapada near Kataka and three high-value plots in Bhubaneswar and Kataka.
In addition, investigators detected 747 grams of gold jewellery, bank deposits of ₹20.87 lakh, cash and household items valued at ₹15.90 lakh, two cars, and four two-wheelers. Sethi has been forwarded to the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Cuttack.
'After thorough search, inventory and further enquiry, the income, expenditure and assets of Tapan Sethi, AEE, R&B Sub-Division, Badachana, Jajpur under SE, R&B Division, Charbatia, Choudwar, Kataka were calculated, and he was found in possession of disproportionate assets which were 170% in excess of his known sources of income,' Odisha Vigilance said.
Koraput Embezzlement: Panchayat Staff Arrested
In a separate operation in Koraput district, anti-corruption sleuths arrested two village-level functionaries for allegedly siphoning government funds. The accused have been identified as G. Shankar, former Assistant Data Entry Operator (ADEO)-cum-former Gram Rozgar Sevak (GRS) of Banuaguda Gram Panchayat, currently posted as ADEO of Lamtaput Block, and Laikhana Nayak, Village Mate of Banuaguda Gram Panchayat.
According to Odisha Vigilance, the two allegedly falsified records to show execution of multiple government-funded development works that were never carried out on the ground. The alleged misappropriation pertains to four major projects under Banuaguda Gram Panchayat within Kundra Block of Koraput district and totals over ₹12.33 lakh. Both have been forwarded to the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Jayapur in Koraput.
Pattern of Vigilance Action in Odisha
The arrests are the latest in a series of crackdowns by Odisha Vigilance that have targeted government officials ranging from junior field-level workers to mid-ranking engineers. Notably, the DA case against Sethi illustrates how infrastructure-facing roles in the R&B department have repeatedly drawn scrutiny for asset accumulation. The panchayat embezzlement case, meanwhile, highlights persistent vulnerabilities in rural development scheme implementation — particularly where record-keeping oversight is weak.
What Happens Next
Both matters are now before respective Vigilance Special Courts, where remand and bail proceedings are expected in coming days. Further investigation into the full chain of alleged beneficiaries in the Koraput panchayat case remains ongoing, according to reports. The Odisha government has not yet issued a formal response on either arrest.
Point of View
A farmhouse, and a six-vehicle fleet are not built on a government engineer's salary alone. The Koraput embezzlement, though smaller in absolute value, is arguably more damaging: fake completion records for rural development projects mean real welfare spending is being drained at the last mile, where oversight is thinnest. Odisha Vigilance's cadence of arrests has been consistent, but arrests alone do not dismantle the networks that enable such accumulation. The deeper question is whether asset-tracing investigations follow the money upstream to contractors, intermediaries, and supervisory officials — or stop at the first individual in the chain.
NationPress
24 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tapan Sethi and why was he arrested?
Tapan Sethi is an Assistant Executive Engineer posted in the R&B Sub-Division, Badachana, Jajpur district. He was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on 23 October for allegedly possessing disproportionate assets worth 170% above his known sources of income, including multiple buildings, a farmhouse, gold, and vehicles.
What properties were found in the Tapan Sethi disproportionate assets case?
Searches revealed a triple-storey building in Kataka, a 3,600 sq ft triple-storey building in Puri, a 2,200 sq ft double-storey building in Bhubaneswar, a 1.02-acre farmhouse near Kataka, three plots, 747 grams of gold jewellery, ₹20.87 lakh in deposits, cash and household items worth ₹15.90 lakh, two cars, and four two-wheelers.
Who were arrested in the Koraput panchayat embezzlement case?
G. Shankar, former ADEO-cum-former Gram Rozgar Sevak of Banuaguda Gram Panchayat, and Laikhana Nayak, Village Mate of the same panchayat, were arrested. They allegedly falsified records for four government-funded development projects that were never executed, misappropriating over ₹12.33 lakh.
Where have the arrested persons been sent?
Tapan Sethi has been forwarded to the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Cuttack. G. Shankar and Laikhana Nayak have been forwarded to the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Jayapur in Koraput district.
What is a disproportionate assets case under Odisha Vigilance?
A disproportionate assets (DA) case is initiated when a public servant is found to possess assets that significantly exceed their known and legitimate sources of income. In this case, Tapan Sethi's assets were calculated to be 170% in excess of what his declared income could account for, triggering his arrest under applicable anti-corruption statutes.
