Odisha Vigilance uncovers ₹1.43 crore cash, gold in deputy ranger's secret vault

Bhubaneswar, July 25: In a major crackdown on corruption, Odisha Vigilance officials on Friday unearthed assets worth crores during raids on Rama Chandra Nepak, Deputy Ranger of the Jeypore Forest Range, following allegations of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. The raids led to the seizure of ₹1.43 crore in cash, 1.5 kg of gold, 4.637 kg of silver, a triple-storey building, three flats, two high-value plots, and a luxury car.

A major portion of the cash—₹1.38 crore—along with four gold biscuits and sixteen 10-gram gold coins, was found concealed in a secret treasury inside his flat at Golden Height Residential Apartment in Jeypore. Counting machines were used to tally the massive amount. An additional ₹4.44 lakh was recovered from his residential house in Jeypore.

Assets uncovered include a triple-storeyed building in Jeypore, a 3-BHK flat in Bhubaneswar, two 2-BHK flats in Jeypore, and two valuable land plots. The Vigilance team also seized a KIA Carens vehicle.

Simultaneous searches were conducted at six locations, including his office, his brother’s flat in Bhubaneswar, and his in-law’s house in Jeypore. The Vigilance Technical Wing is now assessing the value of bank deposits, investments, and financial documents.

Nepak, who joined as a Village Forest Worker in 1989, was earning a monthly salary of ₹76,880. The discovery of such massive unaccounted assets has raised serious concerns about deep-rooted corruption within the forest department.