BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha vigilance on Thursday unearthed
assets
to the tune of about Rs 19 crore linked to the regional transport officer (RTO) of Boudh district,
Basant Kumar Mohapatra
(55) and his kin. Calculation is underway to detect the disproportionate value of the total assets, vigilance sources said.
If the amount of the
disproportionate assets
(DA) is found to be over Rs 15 crore, it could be the highest ever haul in the state, sources said.
The movable and immovable property, bulk of which Mohapatra allegedly earned through
corrupt
and
illegal
ways, included several flats and commercial units in upscale high-rises in the capital city.
“We found him owning flats, shops in Bhubaneswar and one in Bengaluru worth about Rs 14.5 crores, deposits in banks and insurance companies to the tune of about Rs 4 crore, 500 gram gold and household articles among others. The approximate current value of his total assets is about Rs 19 crores. After assessing his legitimate income and expenditure, we will be able to say the amount of his disproportionate assets,” a senior vigilance officer said.
Among Mohapatra’s high valued properties are a 3,000 sqft flat worth Rs 1 crore in a prime apartment at Pahala, two commercial shopping outlets worth over Rs 2 crore in a swanky mall at
Kalpana
Square, a 3-BHK flat worth Rs 1 crore at Kalpana Square, Rs 1.35 crore advance paid to a realtor for purchase of a 5-BHK flat at Kalarahanga and Rs 88 lakh advance paid to purchase a flat at Bengaluru.
“The current value of the property would be much higher. We have estimated the value based on the registered sale deed. Undervaluation during the registration period cannot be ruled out. Our technical wing is on the job of making the real valuation of the properties,” the vigilance officer said.
Boudh was Mohapatra’s first place of posting as RTO on May 1, 2022 following his promotion from the rank of motor vehicle inspector (MVI). He was earlier posted as an MVI in RTO-2, Bhubaneswar, and transferred to Boudh after getting the promotion.
“We strongly suspect he took huge bribes from commercial vehicles, mostly goods and sand-laden trucks by ignoring their illegal operations at different places where he was posted earlier,” the officer said.
Mohapatra was first posted as an electrical engineer on September 9, 1991 and promoted to the rank of junior MVI in 2014. He worked in Balasore, Koraput, Bargarh and Gajapati districts before being promoted to the rank of MVI on April 8, 2021.
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