Kendrapada: Vigilance officials on Monday searched six locations linked to Bhanja Kishore Behera, former senior revenue assistant of Tirtol block in Jagatsinghpur district in a case of alleged misappropriation of govt funds to the tune of more than Rs 3 crore.The locations searched included a 7,000 sqft double-storeyed residential building, a 4,000 sqft tent house and another 3,000 sqft double-storeyed building at Patenigaon under Raghunathpur police station, besides Behera’s office at Naugaon tehsil and the Tirtol BDO office, his previous place of posting. The house of one of his relatives at Sanakorkora village was also searched.Behera was arrested by the vigilance on Aug 12. The investigation uncovered a systematic financial fraud at the Tirtol block office in 2011-12 to 2021-22. According to the vigilance, Behera allegedly fabricated and tampered with govt salary registers and disbursal documents to misappropriate funds. During interrogation, he allegedly admitted to acquiring assets, including the 7,000-sqft palatial building, tent house and other valuables, with around Rs 2 crore of the misappropriated money.
