Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance officers Sunday arrested two officials for allegedly diverting Rs 9.24 crore of public money to private bank accounts of their associates, officials said.
The Vigilance Department has been investigating the alleged misappropriation of public funds at the office of the Superintending Engineer, Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division-I, Bhubaneswar.
During the probe, officials found that Section Officer Banalata Mohanty and Junior Assistant Bibhudutta Nayak, both posted in the establishment section of the Superintending Engineer’s office, allegedly generated fake sanction orders and bills amounting to Rs 9.24 crore between the 2022-23 and 2025-26 financial years, they said.
While genuine bills carried the bank details of authorised beneficiaries, the forged bills contained substituted account numbers belonging to relatives and associates of the two accused, officials said.
A total of 77 bank accounts belonging to 48 people, including Mohanty’s son, driver and associates, and Nayak’s brothers and relatives, were allegedly used to receive the diverted funds, they said.
The account holders subsequently transferred part of the money to the accused or withdrew cash and handed it over to them, officials said.
After the alleged embezzlement was detected and an inquiry initiated, the administrative authorities recovered Rs 3.96 crore of the diverted amount, they said.
The department has registered a case against Mohanty, Nayak and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and relevant sections of the BNS, 2023.
Further investigation into the case is in progress.
PTI
