Odisha Vigilance arrests Keonjhar DFO for amassing DA including 115 plots

Bhubaneswar, July 22: Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Tuesday arrested Nityananda Nayak, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the KL Division in Keonjhar, for allegedly owning assets disproportionate to his known sources of income including an astounding 115 plots of land and a luxurious farmhouse in Angul district.

Follow our WhatsApp Channel for the latest news, alerts & updates – Don’t miss out!

Nayak was arrested and forwarded to the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, in Keonjhar.

During a two-day search, Vigilance officials unearthed a large amount of assets owned by Nayak, an officer in the Odisha Forest Service (OFS-I). Some of the major discoveries included a multi-storey building covering 9,000 square feet in Angul, 200 grams of gold, Rs 10.25 lakh in cash, bank deposits over Rs 50.38 lakh, and two cars.

Further searches revealed a farmhouse in Chhendipada, Angul, spread across about 1.5 acres. The property has a 1,432 sq ft outhouse, another smaller building of 314 sq ft, and a pond that cost around Rs 30 lakh to build. It also has two borewells, one well, and plantations with hundreds of coconut, banana, and mango trees.

According to Vigilance sources, Nayak had not revealed any information about the farmhouse at first. However, during a raid at his home in Keonjhar, officials found a diary that recorded payments and expenses related to the farmhouse. This discovery led another Vigilance team, along with technical experts, to find the farmhouse and start assessing its value.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act has been filed at the Balasore Vigilance Police Station (Case No. 6/2025). 

Further investigation into the matter is underway.