Odisha Vigilance on Friday intercepted a vehicle and seized ₹5 lakh in bribe cash linked to Dhaneswar Barad, Superintendent of Excise, Rourkela. Acting on reliable inputs that Barad had collected a large amount of bribe money from excise licence holders, a team of Odisha Vigilance had been keeping a watch on him. The Vigilance team intercepted a Scorpio bearing registration number OD-14AD-1314 in front of the Excise Superintendent’s Office at Uditnagar, Rourkela, in the presence of witnesses. During the interception, officials recovered ₹5 lakh in cash. According to Vigilance officials, the cash was being transported by a salesman of a local wine shop. During questioning, the salesman admitted that the cash had been handed over to him by Excise Superintendent Dhaneswar Barad for delivery to his residence. Barad was also confronted with the salesman and admitted to the same. Following the seizure, simultaneous searches were conducted at Barad’s residential premises in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar on Thursday night. During the searches, Vigilance officials reportedly unearthed several assets, including: ➡️A double-storeyed building at Raghunathpur in Bhubaneswar, measuring approximately 2,700 sq ft. ➡️4 plots, including one plot in Bhubaneswar and three on the outskirts of Nayagada. ➡️Deposits amounting to approximately ₹33.97 lakh were detected. Documents relating to other investments and deposits were also recovered and are currently being verified. In connection with the seizure, Rourkela Vigilance Police Station Case No. 12, dated September 11, 2026, has been registered under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Searches have been launched at the office and residential premises of the Excise Superintendent from the disproportionate assets (DA) angle. The investigation is currently underway, and further details are awaited. Post navigation Flood Situation in Malkangiri: ଲଗାଣ ବର୍ଷାରେ ମାଲକାନଗିରିରେ ବନ୍ୟା ପରିସ୍ଥିତି; NH-326 ଯୋଗାଯୋଗ ପ୍ରଭାବିତ Chinese President Xi Jinping Arrives in New Delhi for 18th BRICS Summit
