Odisha Vigilance arrests OBCC engineer Pradeep Kumar Rath over crores in DA

Bhubaneswar, Aug 6: The Odisha Vigilance today arrested Pradeep Kumar Rath, an Additional Engineer with the Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC), for allegedly accumulating assets worth several crores beyond his known sources of income.

The arrest followed simultaneous searches conducted at 12 locations on Monday, uncovering a substantial cache of assets. Rath was found to possess two multi-storey buildings, two high-value flats in Bhubaneswar, 45 plots—including three in Dhenkanal valued at Rs 1 crore—along with a medicine store and a crusher unit. Additionally, 1 kg of gold, deposits totaling Rs 1.62 crore, two cars, two JCBs, an excavator, and a rock breaker were discovered, which Rath could not satisfactorily account for.

Among the properties seized were a three-storey building covering 6,660 sqft in Satya Vihar, a building housing a medicine store in Nayapalli, and two flats in Bhubaneswar. Another three-storey building of 7,000 sqft was found in Bhadrak. Rath also owns plots in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Bhadrak, and Jajpur. Other findings included 300 grams of silver ornaments, fixed deposits totaling Rs 88 lakh, and insurance investments amounting to Rs 50 lakh.

The investigation into Rath’s assets is ongoing, and a formal case has been registered against him.