Bishwadarshi Sahoo, the Project Administrator of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in Bonai, Sundargarh district, was arrested on Friday by the Odisha Vigilance after being found in possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The arrest followed extensive raids conducted by the anti-corruption agency on Thursday at seven different locations in Sundargarh, including Sahoo’s residence. During the raids, the Vigilance team unearthed significant assets, including a multi-storeyed building, two flats (one of which had a Rs1.50 crore advance paid for purchase) in Bhubaneswar, and nine high-value plots.
In addition to the properties, the officials also seized 150 grams of gold, Rs4.51 lakh in cash, and bank deposits worth over Rs61 lakhs, all of which Sahoo could not explain satisfactorily. Following the raids, Sahoo was arrested for possessing disproportionate assets and was forwarded to court.
The Rourkela Vigilance Police Station has registered Case No. 2/2025 against Sahoo in connection with the incident.
In related news, the Odisha Vigilance Department reported a significant crackdown on corruption in 2024, registering over 200 criminal cases and apprehending 181 individuals, including government officials, for involvement in corruption and disproportionate asset cases. Among those arrested were 50 Class-I officers, including six Chief Engineers and a Joint Commissioner of Excise, along with doctors, police officers, and revenue officials.
