Vigilance unearths Rs 5.29 crore more from Pathaks, takes total to nearly Rs 15 crore

BERHAMPUR/BHUBANESWAR: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of State Vigilance has found evidence of another Rs 5.29 crore cash deposited in the accounts of Akash Kumar Pathak, the son of senior IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak.

Online transfer and cheque clearances amounting to Rs 5.29 crore were detected during verification, which has raised the total deposits in Akash’s accounts to Rs 14.77 crore. The bank accounts are in Bhubaneswar and Pune.

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For someone who dealt with so much cash and spent on a lavish lifestyle, Akash’s income tax returns have not been found yet, much to the surprise of Vigilance. “He has not been able to produce any IT returns,” official sources said.

The anti-corruption bureau sources said that so far, all verifications indicate that cash was being generated in Bhubaneswar which is why the bookings and payments for travels, hotels and other spending were made from agencies based out of the State Capital.

“Since Tata Motors has clarified that he was not their employee, where was all this money coming from? The alleged fake recruitment could not have fetched so much funds. We are probing deeper,” the sources added.

The Vigilance is now set to examine all the postings of father Abhay Kant. His personal files from all field postings, Forest and Environment department as well as PCCF Office have been collected. Relevant CCTV footages were also seized from the residence and the apartments searched earlier. Pathak senior was posted at Rajgangpur, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Angul, Boudh, Koraput, Berhampur in different periods of his career.

A team also went to Sub Registrar office for verification of land records of the kin of Pathak. Under amendments to Prevention of Corruption Act in 2018, property in the name of relatives can be made out as an offence.

The officers of State Forensic Science Laboratory, Bhubaneswar have also started forensic examination of the seized cell phones, laptops and other seized devices.The Vigilance has handed over all evidences related to cheating and impersonation against Akash to Crime Branch while focusing its probe under disproportionate assets case.

Meanwhile, a five-member Crime Branch team, headed by a DSP reached Berhampur to investigate into the alleged job fraud by Akash. It went to Forest department offices as well as banks. Yesterday, a two member team had interacted with senior officials and interrogated youths of Chhatrapur area. 

Meanwhile, supporters of Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy, who is under scanner too, described the action as unwarranted and caused by differences in BJD. However, Panigrahy’s lifestyle, when people of Ganjam district were living in the grip of Covid-19, has dried up public sympathy, though they alleged that police were acting in a vindictive manner. Grassroots leaders of BJD in Ganjam district, reportedly neglected by Panigrahy, are also happy.