Cuttack: The state vigilance department has traced assets worth Rs 3.22 crore, including two residential buildings in Bhubaneswar, in the possession of an Indian Forest Service officer.

"The assets were found to be disproportionate to the known sources of income of Bijoy Ketan Acharya, the Ghumusar-South divisional forest officer in Bhanjanagar in Ganjam district," a vigilance (coordination) official said.

"Investigation in the case is on," the official said.

Vigilance sleuths raided several premises linked to Acharya in Bhanjanagar, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack on June 23 and opened bank lockers on June 25 and 26.

In all, they found assets worth Rs 3.51 crore. Subsequently, disproportionate assets were calculated to be more than Rs 3.22 crore that Acharya could not account for.

The search operations were conducted following allegations that the officer had acquired assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Court of the special vigilance judge, Berhampur, had issued the search warrants.

The sleuths found that Acharya had deposited and invested Rs 1.51 crore in banks, insurance companies, shares, bonds and post office.

One team raided his residence and office in Bhanjanagar, while another raided his three-storey residential building at Patia and another three-storey residential building in which he had a 50 per cent share at Saheed Nagar in Bhubaneswar. The properties have been estimated to be worth Rs 88 lakh and Rs 47.50 lakh (according to his share), respectively.

The vigilance team also raided his ancestral home at Andarpur in Cuttack.

Documents of four homestead plots at Madanpur, Patia in Bhubaneswar, Badaraghunathpur, and Janla and worth around Rs 4.2 lakh were also recovered during the raids.

The sleuths also recovered gold ornaments worth around Rs 30.55 lakh, along with Rs 18.71 lakh in cash, from Acharya's homes and his three banks lockers.

An official release by the vigilance department said other movable assets traced during the search operations included household articles worth around Rs 9 lakh.