Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], February 26 : BJP MLA Manas Kumar Dutta has backed Odisha Vigilance's action on Debabrata Mohanty, Deputy Director of Mines, Cuttack Circle, who was caught red-handed taking a ₹30,000 bribe from a licensed coal vendor.
Simultaneous raids at his residences and office uncovered over ₹4 crore in cash, making it the largest cash seizure in Odisha Vigilance history.
Thanking the government for the action, Dutta emphasised that the policy of the current state regime has been to act swiftly against people involved in corruption.
"It is the policy of the government to take action against those involved in corruption. I thank the government for taking strict action and am hopeful that such actions continue to be taken against corruption," Dutta toldon Wednesday.
The Vigilance team also recovered gold jewellery and financial savings documents. Mohanty's arrest and the massive cash haul have sent shockwaves in the state.
Odisha Vigilance has recovered Rs 4 crore in cash from the residence of the Deputy Director of Mines, Cuttack Circle, who has also been apprehended, an official statement said.
"Following apprehension of Sri Debabrata Mohanty, Deputy Director of Mines, Cuttack Circle, Cuttack, yesterday night for taking a bribe Rs.30,000 from a licensed coal vendor, simultaneous house searches were initiated by Odisha Vigilance at his residential flat, parental house at Mathasahi, Bhadrak and his office chamber at Cuttack. During ongoing searches, cash over Rs 4 crore concealed in trolley bags and in almirahs has been unearthed from his flat at BBSR and seized," Vigilance said.
"There was an allegation on DDM mining circle of Cuttack Debabrata Mohanty demanding a bribe of ₹40,000 monthly from a licensed coal depot owner, he had to pay the bribe reluctantly after being threatened by the DDM... The owner has launched a complaint before Vigilance, Bhubaneswar division and a case has been registered. After preliminary verification, we conducted a raid and caught Mr. Mohanty red-handed... subsequently, we even searched his office and recovered more than ₹1,20,000... we even conducted simultaneous raids on his rented house at Patia, Bhubaneswar and Phulbani and also at his paternal house at Bhadrak and one newly constructed house at Pahala, Bhubaneswar with the assistance of Berhampur and Balasore vigilance division. During the raid, we found big trolley and polythene filled with cash which was counted to be more than ₹4,27,00,000, besides that, more than 130gm gold jewellery and banking and financial savings were also detected... it is now under verification...," said Bhubaneswar Vigilance SP Saroj Kumar Samal.
Further investigation is underway.
Earlier, Odisha Vigilance arrested Manoranjan Sahoo, a former Senior Clerk of the Hindol Sub-Treasury in Dhenkanal district, for allegedly misappropriating Rs 68.85 lakh in government funds meant for family pension beneficiaries.
Officials confirmed that Sahoo, who had been absconding for nearly two years to evade action, was arrested late Friday night by the Vigilance team.
According to the Vigilance Department, Sahoo is accused of diverting Rs 68,85,497 by fraudulently drawing government funds over an extended period.
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