The Vigilance police on Tuesday took tainted Khariar DFO Sarat Chandra Panda on a two-day remand for interrogation in connection with the disproportionate assets (DA) case against him.
Panda was arrested by the anti-corruption agency on Sunday on charges of amassing disproportionate assets worth crores. A team of Vigilance sleuths took Panda from the Jharpada Special Jail.
On Monday, though the anti-graft body had moved the Special Vigilance Court here seeking three-day custody of Odisha Forest Service (OFS) officer but the court allowed the agency to take the DFO on two-day custody.
The anti-graft body would interrogate him to ascertain the details of acquisition of illegal assets worth crores and sources of his income and properties. So far, sources said properties worth `5 crore have been detected in the name of the Panda and his wife’s name.
Prior to the Vigilance raids, Income Tax Department sleuths also conducted raids on his house and office over alleged tax evasion and detected new currency notes worth lakhs. The DFO is also accused of non-payment of tax deducted source (TDS).