A Prized CAtch! Odisha mining officer caught with Rs 4 cr cash

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance Department has apprehended a senior mining officer after it recovered more than Rs 4 crore in unaccounted cash during raids, marking the state's biggest cash seizure in a corruption case to date.

Debabrata Mohanty, posted as Deputy Director of Mines, Cuttack Circle, was caught red-handed on Tuesday while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a licensed coal trader. Investigators said Mohanty had demanded the money in exchange for allowing the smooth functioning of the trader’s coal depot and granting permission for coal transportation. Vigilance officials, who called the seizure the biggest ever in its history, laid a trap and caught Mohanty while he was receiving the bribe.

The entire amount was recovered and seized on the spot. Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were conducted at three locations — Mohanty’s flat in Bhubaneswar, his ancestral home in Bhadrak district and his office chamber in Cuttack.