Berhampur DFO arrested in disproportionate assets case

Vigilance sleuths have arrested a senior forest official in Odisha for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ashish Kumar Behera was arrested on Sunday after he failed to give an account of the assets worth Rs 2.19 crore, which is Rs 1.6 crore more than his known sources of income, a vigilance release said.

He was booked under provisions of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, it said.

Behera's residences at Bhubaneswar and Bhanjanagar, his government quarter and office at Berhampur and his relatives' houses in Ganjam district were raided by the anti- corruption officials on July 19 and and July 20.

The sleuths found a 3 BHK apartment in Bhubaneswar and four plots at Berhampur, Bhanjanagar and Bhubaneswar, with a combined worth of over Rs 1.32 crore, in Behera's name.

Insurance policies, bank deposits, gold and silver ornaments, a car, a moped and cash worth over Rs 1.87 crore were also found in the name of Behera and his family, the release said.

Behera was produced at the Vigilance court in Bhubaneswar which sent him to judicial custody till August 3, it said.