Vigilance sleuths Tuesday raided multiple properties owned by Pratap Kumar Samal, Deputy Manager in Odisha Police Housing and Welfare Corporation (OPHWC) at various places in Bhubaneswar and Bhadrak on the charge of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.Samal went into a tizzy after seeing vigilance officials at his home. During the raid at his resi- dence at plot no N/6- 416 in Nayapalli area here, he threw away 20 lakks into a neighbours building by stuffing the notes in a paper cartoon. When the sleuths reached samal’s house, he made the official wait outside his home for around 45 mins.Later ,in a frantic bid to avoid getting caught he threw away the cash bag, Officials said.
So far, a total of 38.12 lakh and 27 immovable properties in the name of Samal and his wife have been seized. He owned 25 immovable properties including two high rise buildings in Bhubaneswar and and a five-storied building at Basudevpur in Bhadrak. He also owns a two-storied market complex at Betada in Balasore. According to the vigilance department, the properties are located in Bhubaneswar’s prime locations and the cost of the five-storied building is valued at 3.89 crore and a four-storied building (Plot No N6/235, IRC Village) worth over crores.
Samal, 53, completed his diploma in civil engineering from Barapada School of Engineering in Bhadrak
in 1987 and joined the Odisha Police Housing and Welfare Corporation August 14, 1988 as a junior engineer at its Bhubaneswar office. After being promoted to deputy manager in 2013, he worked at
Rourkela, Bolangir, Keonjhar, and Cuttack offices of the corporation. Later, he returned to the head-
quarters in 2019 and has since been working here. The technical team of the vigilance was estimating the total value of the properties owned by Samal,his family and relatives while going to the press.
