Odisha Forest Ranger Rabindra Kumar Nayak Arrested for Disproportionate Assets

Odisha Vigilance officials arrested forest ranger Rabindra Kumar Nayak on charges of possessing assets far beyond his known income, estimating the excess at 372 percent. The raids on properties linked to Nayak and his family in Kendrapara and Cuttack districts uncovered a four‑storey residential building of about 6,400‑7,000 sq ft, a second house in Sahadapada, six high‑value land plots in Baranga, cash of Rs 2.14 lakh, bank deposits exceeding Rs 45 lakh (later reported as Rs 76 lakh), gold and silver jewellery, one four‑wheeler, two motorcycles and household items worth several lakh rupees.

Nayak, a forest range officer who started as a forester in 1988 and earned a salary of Rs 1,000 at that time, was produced before the Special Vigilance Court in Cuttack, where his bail plea was rejected and he was remanded to judicial custody. The case highlights alleged corruption within the state forest department.