2 min readBhubaneswarMay 21, 2026 05:50 AM IST
When he was 20, Bhubaneswar Sabar joined the Odisha government as a junior engineer on a modest salary of Rs 6,000. When sleuths of the Odisha Vigilance department came knocking this week, they were astonished at how much it had grown: Sabar now allegedly owned five multi-storeyed buildings, 83 acres of land spread across 97 plots, two farmhouses spanning 17 acres, and a market complex.
This week, the state vigilance department conducted raids at six locations allegedly linked to Sabar, now an executive engineer, in connection with a disproportionate assets (DA) case.
A case against Sabar has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018, with the anti-corruption wing also seizing deposits worth Rs 10.72 lakh, one four-wheeler, cash, and household articles worth around Rs 20 lakh.
In an official statement, the department said its technical wing was carrying out a valuation of his properties. “The official was examined to ascertain the source of the assets. As he couldn’t make a satisfactory explanation about amassing such huge properties, he was placed under arrest,” a vigilance official told The Indian Express.
According to officials, when he first joined in 1999, Sabar was posted to the roads and buildings division at Sunabeda in Odisha’s Koraput district. He was promoted to assistant engineer in 2013 and executive engineer in March 2024.
A native of Kalahandi district, Sabar has not been transferred outside his home district since 2007 despite getting two promotions, officials said.
Most of Sabar’s properties are either in Kalahandi or Nabarangpur district, where he was previously posted, officials said, adding that the probe is continuing.
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This is part of the Odisha government’s crackdown on corruption. In 2025, Odisha Vigilance registered 205 cases against 339 persons, including 53 Class-I officers and 39 Class-II officers. The 205 cases included 49 cases of amassing DA and 98 trap cases.
