Vigilance searches houses of Chakma

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance teams on Wednesday conducted searches at the residence of suspended IAS officer Dhiman Chakma in Tripura and at the homes of his relatives in Himachal Pradesh, the department said.

Chakma was arrested by the anti-corruption wing of Odisha Police on June 9 on charges of accepting Rs 10 lakh bribe from a businessman at Dharmagarh in Kalahandi district.

Subsequently, the sleuths also seized Rs 47 lakh from his possession during a raid on his official residence at Dharmagarh.

“The teams are carrying out verification and searches at the house of Chakma at Kanchanpur, North Tripura, and the house of his in-laws in Himachal Pradesh, based on search warrants issued by the Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhawanipatna,” the department said.

Officials said relevant documents related to bank deposits, investments in financial instruments and other materials are being scrutinised.

Details of movable and immovable assets are also being verified from a disproportionate assets (DA) angle, an official said.

Chakma, an Odisha cadre IAS officer of the 2021 batch, who worked as the Sub-Collector at Dharamgarh, was caught red-handed while accepting bribe.

A case has been registered against him under Section 7 Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

Three teams of Odisha Vigilance have been sent to Tripura and Himachal Pradesh to carry out searches at places linked to Chakma for further verification, officials added.