IAS officer Chakma arrested for taking Rs 10L bribe
Dharamgarh Sub-Collector and 2021 batch IAS officer Dhiman Chakma was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a businessman.
Bhawanipatna: Dharamgarh Sub-Collector and 2021 batch IAS officer Dhiman Chakma was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a businessman. The Rs 10 lakh bribe money was an instalment of the overall demand of Rs 20-lakh bribe. Chakma was produced before the Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhawanipatna, which rejected his bail plea and remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.
Vigilance sources said the Sub-Collector called the complainant to his official government residence at Dharamgarh, received the bribe amount, verified the 26 number of 100-note bundles of different denominations with both his hands,and kept the same inside his residence office table drawer. “Both handwash and table drawer wash gave a positive chemical reaction. Following this, further Rs 47 lakh cash has been recovered during searches at his official residence,” said SP, Vigilance cell, Cuttack division, M Radhakrishna.
Sources said the Sub-Collector was demanding a huge amount of bribe from the complainant by threatening to take action against the latter’s stone crusher unit at Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district. Finding no other way, the owner of the stone crusher unit approached the Vigilance department that set a trap and caught Chakma red-handed on Sunday.
The Vigilance sources said a case was registered in this connection at the Vigilance Cell under Section 7 of Prevention against Corruption Amendment Act, 2018. The 2021 batch Odisha cadre IAS officer Chakma hails from Tripura. He had completed his B Tech from National Institute of Technology in Agartala. Dhiman Chakma had joined Odisha cadre as an Indian Forest Service officer of 2019 batch. After undergoing training, he worked as Additional Chief Conservator of Forest at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district from June 2021.
Later, Chakma cleared the civil services exam in 2021 and was appointed as IAS officer and assigned Odisha cadre. After training, he joined as Sub-Collector of Dharamgarh in January 2024 and was serving in this position until his arrest.
