Odisha Vigilance officials seize Rs 4.27 crore from mines officer
Deputy director Debabrata Mohanty caught taking Rs 30,000 bribe; after record cash haul, gold and property unearthed in Bhubaneswar raid
Odisha Vigilance officials have seized a record Rs 4.27 crore in cash from the Bhubaneswar flat of Debabrata Mohanty, deputy director in charge of mines, Cuttack Circle. The recovery was made after he was allegedly caught accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a coal vendor.
What began as a trap for a relatively small bribe quickly snowballed into one of the biggest anti-corruption crackdowns in the state. Investigators claimed to have uncovered crores of rupees in unaccounted cash stacked inside his residence in Patia.
Officials said the seizure marked the “highest ever cash seizure in the history of Odisha vigilance.”
Record seizure
Apart from the Rs 4.27 crore allegedly recovered from his flat, vigilance officials also claimed to have found an additional Rs 1.20 lakh in cash in his office drawer.
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Search operations further revealed a two-storied building in Bhubaneswar linked to the officer. Authorities also seized approximately 130 grams of gold during the searches.
In addition, investigators identified a locker associated with Mohanty, which is now under scrutiny as part of the ongoing probe.
Ongoing probe
Mohanty had reportedly been booked in a corruption case in 2009. The trial in that case is still pending before a court in Mayurbhanj.
Following the latest seizure, vigilance officials are now probing the money trail. They are examining financial records and working to identify potential links and beneficiaries connected to the alleged illicit wealth.
Authorities have stated that further action will depend on the findings of the ongoing investigation.
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