Bhubaneswar, June 13: Police today recovered assets worth Rs 4.4 crore, including gold ornaments weighing 210 grams, during a raid at the houses of a Class III employee of the development authority.
Vigilance sleuths raided two locations, including the Sastri Nagar residence of Purusottam Baliarsingh, a field man working with the Bhubaneswar Development Authority, following allegations of acquisition of disproportionate asserts.
"We recovered six hydraulic trucks worth Rs 2.1 crore and two excavating machines worth Rs 90 lakh . Bank and insurance deposits worth Rs 26 lakh and a three-storey building at Sastri Nagar worth Rs 85 lakh were also found," said a vigilance official.
Baliarsingh joined the BDA in 1995 and was continuing in the same post. "We are investigating how he managed to amass so much wealth," the official said.
Cash loot
Armed criminals today allegedly looted Rs 45 lakh cash from employees of Godiapada toll plaza near Jankia in Khurda district, 50km from here.
The incident took place around 3.10pm when four employees of the collecting agency were on their way to deposit the cash in a bank. On January 4, armed robbers had allegedly looted Rs 28.5 lakh from the accountant of a tollgate near Jankia. "The plaza employees told us that they were travelling in a car with the cash when another car chased and intercepted their vehicle. They also told us that three gun-wielding persons threatened them and decamped with the cash," said a police officer.
The police said the cash was collected over two days at the plaza. Khurda police superintendent Dilip Das said the toll collection firm had ignored advice to employ security guards while transporting cash. "We started an investigation after a complaint was lodged. We are trying to ascertain whether insiders were involved," said Das.
Drug peddlers held
Police today arrested three persons and seized 800 packets of brown sugar weighing around 150 grams. The trio had been running the racket in the twin cities. The cops said the market value of the contraband was Rs 7 lakh.
The accused have been identified as Pramod Jena, Manas Jena and Purna Khatei. Addressing a news conference in Cuttack, Police commissioner Y.B. Khurania said the accused were all part of a brown sugar racket that had been operating in the twin cities for a couple of years.
