Vigilance sleuths on Wednesday intercepted Sundargarh district’s lathikata Tehsildar Bijay Kumar Behera and seized alleged ill-gotten money of Rs 5,54,900 from him.
Earlier, the sleuths had received information that Behera collected huge amounts of illegal gratification from different stone quarry and sand quarry lessees and was proceeding to Chhatrapur in Ganjam district in a private car.
They intercepted him in front of Khusi dhaba on NH 45 at Samiapalli under Pallahara PS in Angul and found a sum of Rs 5,54,900 in his possession. Behera couldn’t account for satisfactorily regarding possession of such a huge amount of cash.
During interception, a sum of Rs 1,98,000 was also found from his associate Pramod Kumar Beura, a retired Revenue Supervisor of lathikata Tehsil, who was travelling with Behera.
After the incident, Behera’s Government quarter and office chamber lathikata Tehasil, residential house at Chhatrapur in Ganjam and his native place at Achyutarajpur in Khorda were raided, said an official release.