The family of a police officer in Odisha has been found possessing a luxurious crossover sports utility vehicle worth ₹1.11 crore when vigilance sleuths raided 11 places to assess his properties disproportionate to his known source of income.
A Vigilance Department source said it was rare to find a fleet of luxurious cars and bikes possessed by government officers in the State. The anti-corruption wing of the State police conducted simultaneous searches on the allegation of disproportionate assets acquired by Trinath Mishra, Additional SP (Communication).
The luxurious BMW X7 car bearing registration number OD-05AV-0005 was worth ₹1.11 crore, said the department.
Other cars included a Chevrolet Trailblazer (₹25 lakh), Hyundai Creta (₹17 lakh) and Maruti Baleno (₹9 lakh).
A Triumph Rocket 3R (₹20 lakh), GTR 250 Hyosung Bike (₹5.3 lakh) and a Royal Enfield Classic 500 (₹1.75 lakh) too have been found in their possession. Incidentally, the registration number of all the vehicles ends with 005 which indicates that the official had gone the extra mile in pursuit of fancy numbers.
Though the love for luxurious vehicles has set the family of Mr. Mishra apart from the other State government officials caught recently, his immovable properties have also stunned the investigators.
A nursing home — Shantilata Care — and Shanti Drug House have been detected during the search.
A pharmaceutical (drug manufacturing) business in Cuttack was found to be in the name of two unmarried sons of the Additional SP.
“Both business entities are licensed in the name of the spouse of the officer. Valuation of high end medical instruments at Shantilata Care is being done with the help of technical and medical experts,” said the department.
The department traced one 3–bed room flat in Bhubaneswar, one farm house in Jajpur and three plots in both places. Moreover, ₹3.5 lakh has been seized from the Addl. SP.
A Vigilance Department spokesperson said, “More properties are likely to be unearthed.”
State government sources said five corrupt officials have so far been dismissed from the job. As of now, 151 officials are either dismissed or given forced retirement for their alleged involvement in corruption.
