08/06/2026
Baikuntha Nath Behera, the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) at the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in Baliguda, Kandhamal.
He was formally arrested by Odisha Vigilance on June 7, 2026, for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The enforcement action followed simultaneous raids conducted by Odisha Vigilance across nine locations.
The anti-corruption agency revealed that Behera had amassed illicit wealth valued at an astronomical 798% of his known income sources over a career that began in 1999 with a modest starting monthly salary of ₹6,000.
During the raids, the agency uncovered vast movable and immovable properties, including:
1. Over ₹2.04 crore in cash, primarily hidden inside bank vaults and lockers registered under his wife's name.Immovable.
2. 5 to 6 multi-storey buildings spanning over 17,850 square feet (including four palatial buildings in premium areas of Bhubaneswar like Niladri Vihar, Sailashree Vihar, and Kanan Vihar).
3. 13 to 14 high-value plots distributed across prime locations in Bhubaneswar, Jajpur, and Baripada.
4. Around 500 to 552 grams of gold jewelry alongside bank deposits worth approximately ₹45 lakh.
A criminal case has been officially registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018 against Behera and his spouse.
Following his inability to satisfactorily account for the accumulated wealth, he was taken into custody and produced before the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar.
Vigilance officials have indicated that additional locker verifications and asset appraisals are still underway.
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