Bhubaneswar, February 24 – The Odisha Vigilance arrested a senior government official on Tuesday for allegedly accepting a bribe from a licensed coal vendor in exchange for facilitating the complainant's smooth business operations.
According to Vigilance sources, the accused, Debabrata Mohanty, Deputy Director of Mines in Cuttack, was apprehended by Vigilance officials while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from the licensed coal vendor in exchange for allowing the smooth operation of his coal depot and granting permission to transport coal.
The police also seized the entire amount of the bribe from the possession of the accused Deputy Director of Mines.
Following the arrest, simultaneous searches are being conducted at three locations associated with Mohanty to determine whether he possessed any disproportionate assets (DA).
A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, against Mohanty at the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station on Monday.
Notably, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told the State Assembly on Monday that the Vigilance Department has registered a total of 416 cases against government officers and employees in the state for taking bribes, committing financial irregularities in government funds, and possessing disproportionate assets between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025.
He also added that 244 cases are still under investigation, and in 172 cases, the investigation has been completed, and the cases are currently being heard in court.
The state government has established 22 Vigilance Courts in the state, including two special courts and two courts of authorized officers for the prompt trial of various Vigilance cases and confiscation proceedings.
According to reports, a new Vigilance Court has also been established in the Bargarh district recently.
In addition to this, the Odisha government has recently taken several other initiatives to strengthen the Vigilance department.
