Chief Engineer Sarangi Caught with ₹2.1 Crore Cash in Vigilance Raid

Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown on corruption, Odisha Vigilance on Wednesday recovered unaccounted cash worth approximately ₹2.1 crore from the properties of Baikuntha Nath Sarangi, Chief Engineer of the Rural Works (RW) Department under the Odisha Government.

The Vigilance team conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations linked to Sarangi, including his residence at PDN Exotica in Bhubaneswar and his house in Angul. During the searches, officers seized around ₹1 crore from his Bhubaneswar flat and another ₹1.1 crore from his Angul residence. Officials had to use cash counting machines at both sites due to the large volume of seized currency.

In a dramatic turn of events, as Vigilance officials reached Sarangi’s Bhubaneswar residence, he allegedly threw bundles of ₹500 notes out of the window in a desperate attempt to destroy evidence. However, the cash was immediately recovered by officers in the presence of independent witnesses.

The raids were conducted as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations that Sarangi had accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Odisha Vigilance stated that further searches are underway, and more revelations may follow.

Sarangi is now under intense scrutiny for amassing wealth far beyond his lawful earnings, and the probe is expected to widen in the coming days.