In a significant anti-corruption move, the Odisha Vigilance team carried out simultaneous searches at five locations connected to Basanta Kumar Dash, the Deputy Director of Fisheries in Cuttack. Dash is accused of diverting Rs 1.05 crore from a government account to his personal bank account at SBI, Puri. Once the funds were transferred, he allegedly withdrew the money for personal use, leading to the misappropriation of government funds.
The investigation, initiated by Vigilance officials, revealed Dash’s role as the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO), enabling him to execute the fraudulent transactions. To uncover further evidence, five teams, including five Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), four inspectors, nine Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs), and other staff members, conducted extensive house searches at five different locations tied to Dash.
These searches are aimed at retrieving documents related to the misappropriation and identifying assets purchased with the misappropriated funds. The investigation is ongoing, and further details about Dash’s financial activities and the scope of his corruption are expected to emerge.
