Odisha: Locals celebrate as Nabarangpur Sub-collector gets arrested in DA case

Nabarangpur: The Odisha vigilance has arrested the Additional sub-collector of Nabarangpur  for possession of disproportionate assets worth Rs.5 cr. (da to the tune of 506%) of known sources of income. Following the arrest, the locals of Nabarangpur were seen burting firecrackers and distributed sweets celebrating the vigilance raids on district Additional Sub-Collector Prashant Kumar Rout.

“It felt like being liberated from the clutches of Ravana. Rout’s primary job was to swindle money. We are very happy that the Vigilance has raided his properties. We are celebrating it with firecrackers. We want this kind of action against any officer who indulges in corruption,” said a local.

Notably the vigilance has unearthed over Rs 3 crore cash and five plots including four in prime areas of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar and one ‘benami plot’ at Umarkote in Nabarangpur from the possession of Rout.

Cash worth Rs 3 crore was recovered from the residence of Rout at Bhubaneswar and Nabarangpur. Rout seems to have made regular cash deposits in a number of ‘benami bank accounts’.

Bank & Insurance deposits of over Rs 41 lakh, two four-wheelers (Toyota Innova & Maruti Swift) and one two-wheeler (Honda Activa) worth Rs 37 lakh, gold and silver jewelry and household articles worth over Rs 21.35 lakh were also recovered.

Besides, Rout has spent approximately Rs 87 lakh on medical education of his daughter and the educational expenditure of his son.

As per reports, Rout entered government service as an OAS officer on July 1, 1996. He worked as Tehsildar in Kendrapara, Jajpur, Balasore, Bargarh districts and as BDO in Jajpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Sundargarh districts respectively. During his tenure as BDO at Bisra Block, he was arrested on November 6, 2018 in a trap case for taking Rs 1 lakh bribe. He was placed under suspension and was reinstated on January 18, 2020 as the Additional Sub-Collector of Nabarangpur.