Bhubaneswar: On Tuesday, Odisha Vigilance revealed substantial movable and immovable assets worth crores during simultaneous searches carried out at seven locations associated with Umakant Samantaray, the Assistant Director of Factories and Boilers in Sambalpur, as part of a disproportionate assets investigation, according to official reports.
The operation uncovered four multi-storey buildings, a three-bedroom flat, 24 high-value plots, 300 grams of gold, and bank deposits totaling Rs 36.78 lakh, along with various vehicles and household items. Officials noted that the total value is expected to increase as investigations continue.
The properties identified under Samantaray’s name and that of his relatives include a duplex measuring about 2,900 square feet located at Nandan Vihar on Nandankanan Road in Bhubaneswar; a three-storey building covering approximately 4,000 square feet at Tota Behera Sahi, Baliguali, Puri; and a two-storey structure of roughly 4,000 square feet on Subash Marg, Balugaon, in Khordha district.
Additionally, a building of around 2,460 square feet was located near Indus College of Engineering at Barakuda, close to Jatani in Bhubaneswar, along with a 3-BHK residential flat of about 2,000 square feet at Sun City Apartment, Dhankauda, Sambalpur.
Among the 24 high-value plots discovered, eight are situated in prime locations in Bhubaneswar and Jatani, three are on the outskirts of Khordha, eight are around Sambalpur town, three at Burla, and two at Rengali.
Other assets include gold jewelry weighing approximately 300 grams, bank deposits of Rs 36.78 lakh, a Maruti XL6 Hybrid Zeta car, three two-wheelers — a Yamaha Fascino, Honda Dio, and Scooty Pep — and household items valued at about Rs 7.5 lakh.
The Vigilance Technical Wing is currently measuring and assessing the worth of the buildings, flats, and land parcels.
Seven teams from the Odisha Vigilance, consisting of eight Deputy Superintendents of Police, 11 inspectors, 11 assistant sub-inspectors, and additional personnel, executed the searches based on warrants issued by the Special Judge, Vigilance, in Sambalpur.
The raids targeted Samantaray’s 3-BHK flat at Dhankauda in Sambalpur; his duplex at Nandan Vihar in Bhubaneswar; the building at Barakuda near Jatani; properties in Baliguali, Puri; Subash Marg and Ashok Nagar in Balugaon, Khordha; and his office space at the Deputy Director’s office for Factories and Boilers in Sambalpur.
Born on March 7, 1982, Samantaray began his career in government service as an Assistant Director of Factories and Boilers at Rourkela on February 6, 2009, earning an initial salary of Rs 15,000. He worked in Rourkela until August 5, 2013, before his transfer to Angul, and was assigned to Sambalpur on December 1, 2020, where he has remained since.
Vigilance officials are currently investigating the origins of Samantaray’s assets, with further inquiries ongoing.
