Odisha Vigilance seizes more than 4 crore cash from Deputy Director Debabrata Mohanty after bribe trap.

Bhubaneswar: Over 4 crore cash was recovered from the flat of a senior Odisha mines official in Bhubaneswar. Odisha Vigilance carried out the seizure after arresting the officer in a bribery case.Debabrata Mohanty, In-Charge Deputy Director of Mines, Cuttack Circle, was apprehended on Tuesday night.

He allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a licensed coal vendor. The bribe was for facilitating coal depot operations and granting transport permission.Following the arrest, Vigilance teams searched multiple locations. These included Mohanty’s flat in Bhubaneswar, his ancestral home in Bhadrak district, and his office in Cuttack.During the searches at his Bhubaneswar flat, officials found over Rs 4 crore in cash. The money was hidden in trolley bags and almirahs. The cash has been seized.

This is the highest cash recovery ever made by Odisha Vigilance in such a case.An additional Rs 1.2 lakh in cash was recovered from Mohanty’s office drawer. Other items found include a double-storey building in Pahala, Bhubaneswar, and around 130 grams of gold.

Searches continue to trace the source of the assets.The case was registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, at Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station.Over 4 Crore Cash Hidden Underneath in FlatThe large amount of cash was concealed in everyday items like bags and cupboards. Counting of the seized notes was ongoing after the discovery.Public ImpactPeople in the mining and coal trade sectors may face stricter checks. Officials are probing possible links to other irregularities in mining operations. The public should report any suspected corruption to Vigilance authorities. Investigations are in progress.

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