Deputy ranger arrested for amassing illegal assets | Bhubaneswar News – Times of India

Koraput: Vigilance sleuths on Saturday arrested Rama Chandra Nepak, deputy ranger of Jeypore forest range, on charges of amassing disproportionate assets.“After a thorough search, inventory, and further inquiry, the income, expenditure, and assets of Nepak, were assessed, revealing that he possessed disproportionate assets amounting to 501% more than his known sources of income,” read a vigilance release.Officers said the arrest followed simultaneous searches carried out on Friday at six locations linked to Nepak, including his official residence, flats, and other premises in Koraput, Nabarangpur and Bhubaneswar. Vigilance officers said Rs 1.43 crore cash was recovered from a flat, apart from 1.504kg of gold, 4.637kg of silver, bank and postal deposits exceeding Rs 1.33 crore, and documents relating to a multi-storey building, three flats, and two high-value plots. Officers also seized two cars during the searches.Nepak joined govt service in 1989 as a village forest worker under the social forestry division. Following the merger of divisions, he served in the territorial forest division and rose to the rank of deputy ranger. “The accused failed to satisfactorily account for the disproportionate assets accumulated during his service. Further investigation is underway and more details are awaited,” said Rabindra Kumar Panda, SP (vigilance), Jeypore. Nepak was produced in the court of special judge (vigilance) in Jeypore on Saturday.