The Odisha Vigilance Department arrested Nityananda Nayak, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Keonjhar’s Kendu Leaf Division, on Tuesday for possessing assets worth over ₹10 crore, including 115 land plots, far exceeding his known income. The arrest follows raids on July 20-21 across seven locations in Angul, Keonjhar, and Nayagarh districts, authorized by the Special Judge, Vigilance, Keonjhar.

The raids uncovered 115 plots—53 in Nayak’s name, 42 in his wife’s, 16 in his two sons’, and four in his daughter’s—primarily in Chhendipada, Angul, with a registered value of ₹2.5 crore but suspected to exceed ₹10 crore due to undervaluation.

Additionally, a 9,000 sq ft four-storey building in Turanga, Angul, a farmhouse, ₹10.25 lakh in cash, ₹50.38 lakh in bank deposits, 200 grams of gold, two four-wheelers, four two-wheelers, and teak artefacts were seized. A mini-armoury with a rifle, swords, and archery equipment raised suspicions of illegal sourcing during Nayak’s forest tenure.

Nayak, who joined as a Forest Ranger in 1992, allegedly acquired 64 plots during his 2007-2015 Khariar posting and 39 more as Assistant Conservator of Forests (2015-2022). He declared only 12 plots in official statements, prompting interrogation over concealment.

This case, the largest plot haul by Odisha Vigilance, surpasses the 105 plots linked to a Keonjhar engineer in 2024. Nayak was remanded to judicial custody, with investigations ongoing to trace the wealth’s source.

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