From Forest Guard To Fortune Hoarder: Odisha Deputy Ranger Under Vigilance Scanner
Raids uncover Rs 1.43 crore cash, 1.5 kg gold, luxury flats, SUV and more in disproportionate assets case
Bhubaneswar: In a sensational development that has shocked many, Odisha Vigilance sleuths have unearthed assets worth crores from a deputy forest ranger who began his career as a forest guard — a Class IV job. The officer, identified as Rama Chandra Nepak and posted in the Jeypore Forest Division, is now at the centre of a massive disproportionate assets (DA) investigation.
The Vigilance department’s multi-location raids — launched on Thursday following search warrants from the Special Vigilance Court, Jeypore — have revealed a stunning accumulation of wealth far beyond his known sources of income.
By Friday evening, officials had seized Rs 1.43 crore in cash — including Rs 1.38 crore hidden in a secret compartment inside Flat No. 510 at Golden Height Residential Apartment in Jeypore — along with 1.5 kilograms of gold jewellery and 4.637 kilograms of silver.
A three-storeyed house (approx. 3,600 sq. ft.) on NKT Road, PR Petta, Jeypore Town; a 3-BHK flat (1,800 sq. ft.) in Bhagabati Mansion, Bhubaneswar; two 2-BHK flats (1,500 sq. ft. each) in Golden Height Residential Apartment, Jeypore; and two prime land parcels in Jeypore town were also unearthed.
Additionally, a Kia Carens SUV was found.
Undisclosed bank deposits and financial investments are still being verified.
The operation — involving six Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), five Inspectors, nine ASIs, and several technical staff — is one of the biggest DA busts involving a forest department official in recent memory.
Vigilance officials said further investigation is underway to determine the full extent of Nepak’s assets and financial dealings. Valuation of the recovered properties is being carried out by the department’s technical wing.
The revelations have once again brought the spotlight back on systemic corruption in the lower bureaucracy and raised serious questions about monitoring mechanisms within the forest department — particularly in resource-rich regions like Koraput.
