Odisha Vigilance authorities have arrested Rabindra Kumar Nayak, a Forest Ranger in Kendrapada, after discovering assets belonging to him and his family that are 372% higher than his known income. Nayak was presented before the Special Judge, Vigilance, Cuttack, following his arrest. A case has been filed against him under the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 at the Kataka Vigilance Police Station.
The Vigilance agency conducted simultaneous searches at properties linked to Nayak and his relatives to investigate allegations of disproportionate asset accumulation. The searches revealed movable and immovable assets, including residential buildings, plots, cash, gold and silver ornaments, bank deposits, vehicles, and household items, collectively valued at crores of rupees. The seized assets exceeded Nayak’s known income by 372%, as per the vigilance officials.
Further scrutiny of Nayak’s income, expenses, and assets indicated a significant disparity, with his unaccounted assets amounting to 372% of his legitimate income. Odisha Vigilance emphasized that Nayak failed to explain satisfactorily the source of these disproportionate assets. Notably, this arrest follows another recent incident where a senior government official was apprehended for allegedly accepting a bribe.
