Two officials in Odisha have been arrested by the Vigilance department for misappropriating Rs 9.24 crore of public funds.

In Bhubaneswar, two government officials have been arrested by the Odisha Vigilance officers on Sunday. They are suspected of diverting a whopping amount of Rs 9.24 crore from public funds into private bank accounts of their associates. This news has caused quite a stir in the city.

Apparently, the Vigilance Department has been conducting an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of public funds at the office of the Superintending Engineer, in the Roads and Buildings Division-I in Bhubaneswar. Upon further probing, it was discovered that Section Officer Banalata Mohanty and Junior Assistant Bibhudutta Nayak, who were both working in the establishment section of the Superintending Engineer's office, had been involved in generating fake sanction orders and bills. These fraudulent activities took place over a span of four financial years, starting from 2022-23 to 2025-26.

The officials revealed that while the genuine bills had the bank details of authorized beneficiaries, the fake bills contained substituted account numbers belonging to the relatives and associates of the accused duo. Shockingly, it was found that a total of 77 bank accounts belonging to 48 individuals, including Mohanty's son, driver, and associates, as well as Nayak's brothers and relatives, were used to receive the diverted funds. The accused further transferred a portion of the money to themselves or withdrew cash and handed it over to their accomplices.

After the alleged embezzlement was discovered, an inquiry was initiated, and the administrative authorities were able to recover a sum of Rs 3.96 crore of the diverted amount. The department has now filed a case against Mohanty, Nayak, and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and relevant sections of the BNS, 2023. The investigation into the matter is still ongoing.

This news has caused a great deal of concern among the citizens of Bhubaneswar, and it is a clear reminder to all that corruption will not be tolerated. The government is taking strict measures to ensure the accountability of its officials and to safeguard public funds. Let us hope that justice is served and such incidents do not occur in the future.

This is PTI reporting for Orissa POST, Odisha's No.1 English Daily.