The Odisha Vigilance department has unearthed a massive cache of assets from Golap Chandra Hansdah, Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) posted in Boudh, exposing yet another case of public servants living far beyond their official means. On Sunday, August 3, a series of coordinated searches were conducted across six locations linked to Hansdah, and what emerged has shocked even the most seasoned investigators.

In a detailed press release, Vigilance officials confirmed that Hansdah owns 44 land plots, of which 43 are located in and around Baripada and one lies near Balasore. The official sale deed value of these plots is ₹1.49 crore, but gross undervaluation during registration is suspected. A technical team has initiated a thorough valuation process to assess the true worth of the assets. The department has also recovered a double-storey residential building spanning 3,300 sq ft at Prafulla Nagar, Baripada, recorded under Plot No. 457 and Khata No. 205/730.

Among the movable assets uncovered were:

• ₹2,38,725 in cash

• 1 kg of gold, including two 50-gram gold biscuits

• 2.126 kg of silver

• Bank, postal, and insurance deposits worth ₹1,34,09,193

• ₹40 lakh spent on his daughter’s medical education

• One Hyundai Creta, three two-wheelers

• Household articles worth approximately ₹16.06 lakh

• A personal diary containing suspected benami transaction records (currently under scrutiny)

“Golap Chandra Hansdah is being examined to ascertain the source of the assets. Further searches are continuing. Unearthing of more assets is likely and overall valuation is likely to increase,” the Vigilance team stated.

The six sites searched include:

1. His house at Prafulla Nagar, Baripada, Mayurbhanj

2. His rented accommodation in Boudh

3. His paternal house in Gudidiha village under Khunta P.S., Mayurbhanj

4. Rented flat of his daughter at Pandara, Bhubaneswar

5. House of a close associate in Baghdiha, Baripada

6. His office chamber at the RTO office, Boudh

The raids were carried out by a robust team comprising 4 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) and 7 Inspectors, backed by other support staff, and were conducted under valid search warrants issued by the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Baripada.

Hansdah's career timeline paints a journey from humble beginnings to suspicious affluence. He joined government service as an I.P.O. on April 18, 1991, serving in DIC offices at Sambalpur and Deogarh. In 2003, he was promoted to Junior MVI and worked at Taparia Check Gate (Sundergarh) and Laxmidunguri Check Gate (Sambalpur) before moving to RTO offices in Mayurbhanj and Baragarh. He finally attained the role of MVI in 2020, and has since been posted at Boudh RTO. His current monthly salary stands at ₹1.08 lakh.

This raid is part of a growing series of operations led by Odisha Vigilance against officials allegedly accumulating disproportionate assets—wealth that their official income cannot justify. With more evidence expected to emerge, Golap Chandra Hansdah’s case could soon join the list of the most notorious corruption investigations in the state’s recent history.

While Hansdah’s case has raised eyebrows, it’s only one in a troubling trend. Over the past few months, Odisha’s Vigilance Department has launched a series of raids, each time unearthing a new chapter in what appears to be a deeply rooted problem: public servants amassing unexplained and disproportionate assets.

84 Acres and More: Dayanidhi Bagh’s Unbelievable Holdings

Dayanidhi Bagh's 84-Acre Empire: Vigilance Raids Reveal One of Odisha’s Biggest Land Scams in Soil Conservation Wing

In one of the most startling revelations in Odisha’s ongoing crackdown on corruption, the Vigilance Department has uncovered 84 acres of land, multiple luxury properties, and massive unexplained wealth belonging to Dayanidhi Bagh, currently posted as Joint Director in the Directorate of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development. This is officially the largest landholding ever discovered in the name of a government official and his family, making it a landmark case in the state’s anti-corruption drive.

“A Vigilance raid on Joint Director in the Directorate of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development, Dayanidhi Bagh, over allegations of amassing disproportionate assets (DA) has revealed that he was in possession of a whopping 84 acres of land and buildings worth crores,” officials confirmed.

Bagh, who earlier served as the Project Director of the Watershed Wing in Rayagada district, was already on the radar after a May crackdown where four officials of the same wing were arrested for embezzling ₹20 lakh from sanctioned government funds. Following that scandal, Bagh was transferred to Bhubaneswar, but Vigilance authorities continued to investigate his financial activities — and the results have shaken the system.

The raids conducted on Monday revealed an extensive land portfolio:

• A 40-acre farmhouse in Bijaraguda equipped with drip irrigation and agricultural machinery worth ₹1 crore

• Another 6-acre farmhouse at Phatakote valued at ₹46.12 lakh

• 27 acres of land in Nabarangpur

• 11 acres on the outskirts of Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district

These assets alone amount to a whopping 84 acres, far exceeding what a public servant should legally be able to afford through government salary alone.

Bagh’s urban property holdings are no less impressive. Vigilance traced the following:

• A 3BHK flat measuring 1,450 sq ft in Gothapatna, Bhubaneswar

• A building in Chandrasekharpur Housing Board Colony, one of the capital’s prime residential areas

• An under-construction building spanning 3,000 sq ft

• A shopping complex comprising five shops in Nabarangpur town

These properties indicate a sophisticated plan of investment and asset diversification—clearly not a case of accidental savings but a deliberate and systematic effort to multiply personal wealth using public office.

In addition, officials discovered:

• Bank deposits amounting to ₹58.41 lakh

• Gold ornaments weighing 312 grams

• Household articles worth ₹9 lakh

The Vigilance team conducted an extensive operation across eight locations, including:

1. Bagh’s official chamber in Bhubaneswar

2. His residence in Junagarh

3. His in-laws' house in Dharamgarh

4. The Gothapatna flat

5. The Chandrasekharpur house

6. The under-construction site in Nabarangpur

7. Two buildings in Chutiaguda mouza, Nabarangpur, registered under his wife’s name

This comprehensive search points toward widespread benami ownership and property layering, likely aimed at hiding the true extent of wealth.

Adding fuel to the fire is the alleged misuse of ₹3 crore sanctioned under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for farm pond excavation in Kashipur block during 2022–23 and 2023–24. Instead of digging the ponds, Bagh and others are accused of misappropriating the funds. The earlier arrest of four officials linked to this scandal led directly to Bagh’s name being flagged for deeper scrutiny.

“Vigilance received complaints that the officials… misappropriated the funds without digging the farm ponds, and embezzled the money,” confirmed an official source.

The scale of assets linked to Dayanidhi Bagh paints a troubling picture of rampant, well-structured corruption within the Soil Conservation and Watershed Development Directorate. With properties stretching from Rayagada to Bhubaneswar, and bank accounts, gold, and real estate layered across family members, the case shows how one official transformed his post into a personal business empire.

Forest Officer Turned Real Estate Tycoon: Odisha Vigilance Unmasks a 115-Plot Land Grab by Nityananda Nayak

In yet another startling discovery, Odisha’s Vigilance Directorate has exposed a government official whose wealth has stunned even experienced investigators. Nityananda Nayak, an officer of the Odisha Forest Service, has reportedly amassed a staggering 115 land plots over the course of his 33-year career, raising serious questions about unchecked corruption in public service.

Currently posted as the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Kendu Leaf Division in Keonjhar, Nayak’s name surfaced during an ongoing statewide investigation into disproportionate assets among government officials. What officers found wasn’t just irregular — it revealed a systematic, long-term spree of land acquisitions that ran parallel to his bureaucratic career.

“An astonishing 115 plots in places he was posted over the past 33 years,” the Vigilance Directorate officially confirmed.

What started as a modest beginning — just two land plots acquired between 1992 and 2006 — soon escalated into a full-fledged accumulation scheme. From 2007 to 2015, during his posting as a Forest Ranger in the Khariar division, Nayak bought 64 plots. After his promotion to Assistant Conservator of Forests, he acquired another 39 plots between 2015 and 2022. Even as Deputy Conservator of Forests in the PCCF (Wildlife) office in Bhubaneswar, he managed to add 8 more plots between 2022 and 2024. And in just the past few months of 2024, while posted in Keonjhar, he purchased two additional plots.

This brings the total tally to 115 land plots, an amount unprecedented for a government forest officer.

But Nayak’s assets go far beyond just raw land. Vigilance officials discovered a four-storey building covering 9,000 square feet in Turanga, Angul, estimated to be worth crores. Further investigation into ownership titles revealed how the properties were split across family members:

• 53 plots in Nayak’s own name

• 42 in his wife’s name

• 20 in the names of his two sons and daughter

What makes this even more suspicious is the location of these properties: all 115 plots are concentrated in the Chhendipada region of Angul, an area known for rich coal reserves and high-value land compensation schemes. According to investigators, this pattern suggests strategic acquisition for massive future profits, rather than any legitimate use.

“Officials believe the acquisitions were strategic, aimed at future windfalls,” said a source involved in the probe.

Mr. Nayak now tops the Vigilance Directorate’s internal list of most corrupt government officers — even surpassing Pravas Kumar Pradhan, the former Chief Construction Engineer of the Anandpur Barrage Project, who was previously found to own 105 plots.

Also on this growing list are:

• Ramachandra Mishra, former Joint Commissioner of Excise, with over 50 plots

• Pradeep Kumar Rath, Additional Chief Engineer of the Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC), with a similarly high number of land holdings

An investigation is currently underway to determine the sources of funding behind Nayak’s extensive real estate empire. With such monumental asset accumulation surfacing from one department after another, Odisha’s anti-corruption drive is beginning to expose the deep structural rot within government machinery.

From Bridges to Barrage: The Case of Pravas Kumar Pradhan

In what appears to be a disturbing trend fueled by greed and a booming real estate market, corrupt government servants in Odisha are increasingly choosing land and property investments as the preferred route to park their illicit wealth. In just one week, the state's Vigilance Directorate has discovered more than 170 plots and properties linked to just three officials and their family members, underlining the scale of the rot.

“In about a week, the anti-corruption wing of the state government has detected over 170 such properties from three tainted employees and their family members,” confirmed Vigilance officials.

The most recent case involves Pravas Kumar Pradhan, Chief Construction Engineer of the Baitarani Barrage Division at Salapada in Keonjhar. On Friday, Vigilance sleuths launched simultaneous raids across seven different locations associated with him, acting on allegations of amassing disproportionate assets.

The results were once again staggering:

• 80 land plots in Jaleswar

• 4 plots in Delanga

• 1 plot at Sonakania in West Bengal

The official sale deed value of these 85 plots is about ₹2 crore, but Vigilance officials suspect the market value is substantially higher, and detailed verification is still in progress.

In addition to the land:

• A five-storey mansion measuring 12,500 sq ft was discovered in Jaleswar

• Gold ornaments weighing 218 grams

• Cash worth ₹11.70 lakh

• Other movable and immovable assets, the value of which is still being compiled

A Vigilance officer stated, “The source of money through which Pradhan obtained such huge wealth is being examined.”

Pradhan began his government service as an Assistant Engineer in the Water Resources Department in 1994, and was only promoted to Chief Construction Engineer on July 31—a mere few days before the raids, adding urgency to the investigation.

Excise Officer & Construction Engineer Arrested for Asset Pile-Up

Just a few days earlier, on July 29, another bombshell dropped when Rama Chandra Mishra, the Joint Commissioner of Excise, was caught with 52 plots spread across Sambalpur, Balangir, and Sonepur districts, along with other assets worth over ₹3 crore. This discovery has already led to his arrest.

Joining him in the ranks of arrested officials is Sunil Kumar Rout, Chief Construction Engineer of the Lower Suktel Project, who was found to have 34 plots in Bhubaneswar, Puri, Cuttack, and Dhenkanal, in addition to assets totaling a whopping ₹10 crore.

These two arrests highlight the fact that landholding has become a primary method for laundering illicit wealth, a trend the Vigilance is now actively targeting.

According to sources inside the Vigilance Directorate, land is being used for three primary reasons:

1. To evade taxes

2. To hide the true ownership of wealth

3. To take advantage of skyrocketing real estate prices

Most concerning is the trend of buying properties in the names of family members or associates, making detection harder and legal action more complex.

“Details about family members in whose names the plots and other immovable assets are purchased are examined. Their incomes and financial transactions are also verified. If it is ascertained they are not capable of buying, they are made a co-accused in the case,” Vigilance sources stated.

With asset seizures happening almost every week, it is clear that corruption in Odisha has not only grown in depth but also in sophistication. What was once hidden in cash or gold is now being smartly diverted into land and property, cloaked under the names of unsuspecting relatives or fake buyers.

How is it possible that public servants—who operate on clearly defined pay scales—have managed to pile up such immense personal fortunes? Multiple houses, dozens of plots, kilos of gold and silver, high-value cars, shopping complexes, and construction projects, all hint at a corruption machinery that’s not just functioning, but thriving. What we see here are only those caught in the net. The silent operators who haven’t yet been caught may have even more to hide.

Disproportionate Assets and Interception Cases in Odisha: 2024 Vigilance Summary

🚨 Disproportionate Assets (DA) Cases Overview (2024):

• Total DA cases registered: 62

• Public servants involved: 71

• Private persons involved: 35

• Total amount of disproportionate assets seized: ₹133+ Crores

• DA cases against Class-I officers: 31

• DA cases against Class-II officers: 16

• Spouses brought under investigation as co-accused: 40

📌 Major DA Cases Based on Amount Seized:

• ₹10.37 Cr – Pradeep Kumar Rath, Addl. Chief Engineer, Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation, Cuttack

• ₹9.61 Cr – Basanta Kumar Mohapatra, RTO, Boudh

• ₹8.11 Cr – Prasanna Kumar Swain, Asst. Engineer (Civil), Irrigation Division, Bhanjanagar, Ganjam

• ₹7.27 Cr – Tara Prasad Mishra, Former Chief Engineer (Retd), Roads & Building (Civil), Bhubaneswar

• ₹6.30 Cr – Pravas Kumar Pradhan, Superintending Engineer, Irrigation Division, Balasore

• ₹5.79 Cr – Sunil Kumar Rout, Chief Construction Engineer, Lower Suktel Irrigation Project, Bolangir

• ₹5.30 Cr – Bijay Kumar Udaysingh, Junior Manager (Civil), IDCO, Bhubaneswar

• ₹5.25 Cr – Subash Chandra Panda, Deputy General Manager (Civil), Odisha Police Housing Welfare Corporation, Berhampur Division

• ₹4.78 Cr – Dharanidhar Nayak, Deputy Director of Mines, Talcher, Angul

• ₹4.07 Cr – N. V. Harihara Rao, Chief Engineer, Office of Chief Construction Engineer, Rural Works, Balasore Circle

💼 Interception Cases (Unaccounted Cash Seizures in Transit):

• Total unaccounted cash intercepted: ₹24,90,150

• Individuals intercepted: 5 (1 Class-I Officer, 2 Class-II Officers, 1 Class-III Employee, 1 Other Public Servant)

🧾 Key Interception Cases:

• ₹11.19 lakh – Jitendra Kumar Behera, Inspector of Traffic, RTO Office, Talcher, Angul

• ₹5.40 lakh – Akhyamita Kartik, OAS, BDO, Golamunda Block, Kalahandi

• ₹5.40 lakh – Dinesh Kumar Rout, Sarapanch, Brundabahal GP, Golamunda Block, Kalahandi

These alarming figures showcase a growing pattern of high-level corruption and asset concealment by Odisha's government servants, many of whom used their positions to accumulate vast, unaccounted fortunes.

A Bigger Pattern

What makes this crisis even more worrying is the growing list of similar cases. Rama Chandra Mishra, Joint Commissioner of Excise in Bhubaneswar, was found to be the owner of 52 plots. Likewise, Pradeep Kumar Rath, Additional Chief Engineer at the Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC), was exposed as the owner of 50 plots and was subsequently booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a disturbing reality: that some officials, trusted with public resources and responsibilities, have used their positions not for service but for building hidden empires. And if these four or five names are just the beginning, one can only imagine the true scale of the corruption lying beneath the surface.