Vigilance officers stormed six locations in Bargarh district on the strength of warrants from the Special Judge, seizing assets that starkly contrast with the salary slip of their subject. Kartikeswar Behera, 56, draws a monthly salary of ₹52,320 as PEO of Katabhal Gram Panchayat. Yet his name is linked to a 4,800 sq ft double-storey building near Gaisilet and a four-storey structure currently under construction in the same area.
The haul isn't just residential. Investigators identified a 2,400 sq ft market complex and a 1,500 sq ft godown at Kandagada. Thirty land plots scattered across Gaisilet and Kandagada are now under scrutiny. Cash worth ₹2,98,177 was recovered during the raids. The Vigilance Technical Wing is on site, measuring and valuing every square foot of this alleged disproportionate wealth.
Behera has served the government for over 30 years. He joined in July 1994 as Secretary of Gaisilet Gram Panchayat, starting with a pocket change salary of just ₹500. Promoted to VLW in 2009, he moved to the PEO role in 2012 and took charge of Katabhal in 2024. He also holds additional charge of Firingimal and Gourenmunda panchayats. A 30-year career culminating in a five-figure monthly income makes the scale of these properties difficult to explain away as legitimate savings.
The operation involved five DSPs, eight Inspectors, and two ASIs. Searches are still ongoing at all six sites. Investigators are now digging into bank deposits and other financial investments to map the full extent of the alleged embezzlement or illicit gains. The Special Judge, Vigilance, Bargarh, will likely review the valuation reports once the Technical Wing completes its assessment.