Bhubaneswar: Assets worth crores of rupees, including two multi-storeyed buildings and seven high-value plots in the state capital, were unearthed during simultaneous searches conducted by the Odisha Vigilance at multiple locations linked to Prasanna Samantaray, Tahasildar of Kantapara, on Wednesday in connection with allegations of possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
According to a Vigilance press release, simultaneous house searches were carried out at seven places across Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Kendrapara districts on the strength of search warrants issued by the court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Cuttack. During the ongoing raids, officials detected several movable and immovable assets in the name of Samantaray and his family members.
Among the major assets unearthed so far are a triple-storeyed residential building with an area of around 4,200 sq ft at Kesura in Bhubaneswar and another triple-storeyed building under construction with an area of approximately 6,750 sq ft at Keshura in the city. Vigilance officials also found seven high-value plots in Bhubaneswar. Cash amounting to ₹2.15 lakh, a four-wheeler (Maruti Brezza), three two-wheelers and household articles worth around ₹8 lakh were also detected during the searches. Officials said details regarding bank deposits and other investments are being verified.
The measurement and valuation of the buildings and plots are currently being carried out by the Vigilance Technical Wing, and the overall value of the assets is likely to increase as the investigation progresses. Samantaray is being examined by Vigilance officials to ascertain the source of the assets, while further searches are continuing.
The searches were conducted at Samantaray’s residential buildings in Kesara in Bhubaneswar, his paternal house at Duchhia village under Gadisagada police station in Puri district, the house of a relative at Laxmisagar in Bhubaneswar, another relative’s house at Badapaldia in Kendrapara district, his office chamber at the Kantapara Tahasildar office and his government residential quarters at Kantapara.
The operation was carried out by seven teams of Vigilance officers comprising two Additional Superintendents of Police, eight Deputy Superintendents of Police, eleven Inspectors, five Assistant Sub-Inspectors and other supporting staff. Officials said the enquiry is underway and more assets may be detected as the investigation progresses.
Samantaray joined government service as a Local Fund Auditor on January 21, 2000 and served in the audit office at Balasore until June 2016. He was later promoted to the rank of ORS and posted as Zone Officer in the Salandi Lift Canal Project at Soro. Between 2017 and 2022, he served as Additional Tahasildar at Satyabadi in Puri district and Tangi-Choudwar in Cuttack district. In October 2022, he was promoted to the Odisha Administrative Service and posted as Tahasildar of Remuna in Balasore before being transferred to Kantapara Tahasildar office in September 2025.
