Bhubaneswar: In a jaw-dropping moment that stunned even seasoned investigators, a senior Odisha government official allegedly tried to fling bundles of cash out of his apartment window to evade a Vigilance Department raid in a high-stakes disproportionate assets case.
The accused, Baikuntha Nath Sarangi, Chief Engineer in the Rural Development Department, is now under intense scrutiny after officials uncovered an estimated ₹2.1 crore in cash from multiple locations linked to him in Bhubaneswar, Angul, and Pipili.
According to Odisha Vigilance officials, the drama unfolded when a 26-member team arrived at Sarangi’s Dumduma flat in Bhubaneswar. In a desperate bid to destroy evidence, Sarangi allegedly hurled ₹500 notes out the window, a bizarre scene that played out in front of stunned officers and independent witnesses.
“Bundles of ₹500 were literally flying out. He panicked when he saw us,” said one official present during the raid.
The seized cash includes ₹1.1 crore from his Angul home and ₹1 crore from the Bhubaneswar flat. The raids extended to seven premises, including a double-storey house in Angul, flats in Puri, and a relative’s residence, alongside his office chamber.
The probe, prompted by credible intelligence on unexplained wealth, was executed with surgical precision. It involved eight Deputy SPs, 12 inspectors, and six assistant sub-inspectors. Video footage from the operation reveals visuals of towering stacks of notes—₹500, ₹200, ₹100, and ₹50 denominations—being counted meticulously by officials.
