Bhubaneswar, December 31: Vigilance sleuth on Wednesday arrested Jitendra Kumar Panda, Additional Tehsildar of Baranga in Cuttack district, for alleged possession of disproportionate assets.
The anti-graft body officers on Tuesday unearthed unaccounted cash of Rs 73.66 lakh, hidden inside an unoccupied house linked to Panda. Panda, who began his career in 1995 with a modest monthly salary of Rs 2,000, now draws a gross salary of Rs 1.23 lakh.
The anti-corruption wing carried out simultaneous searches on properties linked to Panda in Bhubaneswar, Khurda, and Baranga following allegations of amassing disproportionate assets.
Kumar Panda, Additional Tahasildar, Barang, Dist-Cuttack has been placed under arrest by Odisha Vigilance and will be forwarded today to the Court of Spl. Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar for possession of disproportionate assets,” said a Vigilance communique.
Vigilance sleuths also unearthed about Rs 66 lakh in cash from Panda’s mother-in-law’s locked but unoccupied house in Badagada Brit Colony during the search operations. Though not abandoned, the house remained vacant for years, with Panda’s mother-in-law residing at his Gopaluni Nagar home.
“Based on searches conducted on properties of Jitendra Kumar Panda, Additional Tahasildar, Barang, Dist-Cuttack, he was found in possession of disproportionate assets including two multi storeyed buildings at Bhubaneswar, one 2-BHK flat at Uttara, Bhubaneswar & one multi storeyed building at Khordha town, four high value plots, 560 gram gold, Rs 36.97 lakh deposit, Rs 73.66 lakh in cash, a four-wheeler, etc, which he could not account for satisfactorily,” it stated.
Further investigation is on, the Vigilance release said.
Panda entered into Government services on in 1995 as Senior Laboratory Assistant at the office of the Director, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, Cuttack on Rehabilitation Scheme with monthly initial salary Rs 2,000. In 1997, he was transferred to the Odisha Biological Product Institution, Bhubaneswar.
In 2020, he was promoted to the rank of ORS and joined as Trainee Reserve Officer (TRO) under District Sub-Registrar, Bhubaneswar.
From February 2, 2021 to March 11, 2023, he worked as Additional Tehasildar of Pipili in Puri district and as Pipili Sub-Registrar from March 11, 2023 to July 1, 2023 untill his posting as Barang Additional Tehsildar.
Vigilance suspect that Panda may have amassed these assets by extending undue favours to real estate developers during his tenure as TRO at the office of Sub-Registrar in Bhubaneswar (2021-23) and later as Additional Tehsildar at Pipili in 2023. Since July 2023, he is posted at Baranga, a hub of real estate activity in Cuttack district.
