Baliguda/Kandhamal: In a major anti-corruption operation, the Vigilance Department has launched simultaneous raids at nine different locations linked to Baikuntha Nath Behera, Assistant Executive Engineer of Baliguda ITDA (Integrated Tribal Development Agency). The raids were conducted following allegations of disproportionate assets amassed by the officer.

Acting on search warrants issued by the Bhubaneswar Special Vigilance Judge, the operation involved two Additional SPs, five DSPs, six Inspectors, and several supporting staff. Teams fanned out across Bhubaneswar, Baripada, Dharmasala, and Baliguda to carry out searches at Behera’s residences, office chambers, and properties belonging to relatives.

Among the prime locations raided were a four-storey house at Niladri Vihar in Chandrasekharpur, a three-storey building at Sailashree Vihar, and a two-storey residence at Patia Kanan Vihar Phase-I. Additional raids were conducted at another two-storey house in Chandrasekharpur, a paternal property at Pandua near Dharmasala College in Jajpur district, and houses of relatives in Baripada and Dharmasala. Vigilance officers also searched Behera’s official chamber at the Baliguda ITDA office and his government quarters nearby.

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The raids are part of a wider crackdown on corruption in Odisha. Just a day earlier, Vigilance officials arrested a Junior Assistant, Srikant Das, from the Bhadrak District Education Office while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹10,000 for issuing school recognition certificates. Das was caught red-handed and subsequently arrested, with important documents seized from his possession.

The back-to-back operations underscore Vigilance’s intensified focus on rooting out corruption in government offices. Officials have indicated that detailed asset verification and documentation are underway, and further legal action will follow based on the findings.

This sweeping raid has sent shockwaves across Kandhamal district and beyond, highlighting the state’s determination to clamp down on graft and restore public trust in governance.