Balasore, Oct 7: An executive engineer of the Betnoti Public Works Department (PWD) sub-division in Mayurbhanj district, Arabinda Mohanty, was arrested by the Odisha Vigilance on Tuesday for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

According to Vigilance officials, Mohanty had allegedly anticipated a raid and attempted to conceal documents related to his properties by burying them at the residence of a trusted contractor, Biswanath Pal. However, the plan reportedly failed, with investigators recovering several property documents and other valuables during the searches.

The Vigilance team seized documents relating to 20 high-value plots buried underground at Pal's residence. Officials said Mohanty had also allegedly hidden land records, bank locker keys and other important documents there.

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Pal had reportedly lived as a tenant at Mohanty's residence in Balasore for around five years, during which the two developed a close association. Although Pal has since shifted elsewhere, Mohanty allegedly continued to use his former associate's residence to conceal property-related documents.

The search also led to the seizure of three bank locker keys from Pal's residence. One of the lockers is reportedly in the name of Mohanty's wife, while the other two are in Pal's name. Vigilance officials said their investigation indicates that Mohanty was operating the lockers registered in Pal's name.

As of Tuesday night, the Vigilance team had recovered ₹10.57 lakh in cash from various locations. Investigators also seized several land documents and lease agreements. Deposits amounting to approximately ₹69.69 lakh were traced across different bank accounts and other financial institutions.

The investigation has so far uncovered 23 valuable plots, two multi-storey buildings and a farmhouse, according to Vigilance officials.

The case has been registered as Vigilance Case No. 25/26 under allegations of possession of disproportionate assets. Mohanty was arrested after he reportedly failed to provide satisfactory explanations regarding the assets identified during the investigation.

On Monday, Baripada Vigilance officials conducted simultaneous searches at 10 locations linked to Mohanty across Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts. The searches covered his office, residential premises, ancestral home and the houses of relatives.

Balasore Vigilance SP Arun Kumar Nayak said the investigation is continuing and that searches were still underway as of Tuesday night. Mohanty is expected to be produced before a court on Thursday.