Odisha Vigilance has arrested Rourkela Excise Superintendent Dhaneswar Barad following the seizure of ₹5 lakh in suspected bribe money and the subsequent discovery of massive disproportionate assets. Preliminary estimates reveal his wealth exceeds known income sources by nearly 100 percent.
The crackdown unfolded after surveillance on Barad over alleged extortion from liquor license holders. On Friday night, a vehicle intercepted outside the Uditnagar Excise office yielded ₹5 lakh in cash from a liquor salesman, who confessed Barad had tasked him with delivering the money to his home. Barad failed to offer a satisfactory explanation during interrogation, prompting simultaneous raids across Rourkela and Bhubaneswar.
Searches across his Civil Township residence and a two-story building in Raghunathpur, Bhubaneswar, exposed extensive property holdings. Authorities seized documents for a 2,700-square-foot building in Bhubaneswar, an urban plot, three land parcels on the outskirts of Nayagarh, and ₹33.97 lakh in bank deposits alongside other investments.
A formal case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Rourkela Vigilance Police Station. Barad was produced before the Sundargarh Vigilance Special Judge as investigators continue deep financial scrutiny into his expenditures and assets.