Sambalpur: Odisha vigilance on Tuesday conducted simultaneous raids at seven locations linked to Padmalochan Nayak, executive engineer of the command area development (CAD) division no. 4 here, over allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.Nayak was brought from his rented house in Sambalpur to the vigilance office for questioning and later taken to his division office at Putibandh as part of the probe.During the searches, officials traced residential buildings, around 15 plots across districts, Rs 3.45 lakh in cash, foreign currency, bank deposits and investments, besides a JCB machine and several vehicles. Searches were continuing at the time of filing the report.Nayak, however, denied the allegations, claiming cash and properties, including those at his Cuttack residence, were ancestral. He said he may have a legal share in the assets but did not acquire them through his own earnings. “I do not know why the vigilance has come against me,” he told reporters.The vigilance action has triggered considerable buzz in the region as the investigation into the extent and nature of the assets continues.
