IAS officer caught red-handed while accepting Rs 10 lakh bribe in Odisha

In a major anti-corruption action, Odisha Vigilance sleuths caught Dhiman Chakma, IAS officer and Sub-Collector of Dharamgarh, red-handed while accepting Rs 10 lakh bribe from a businessman on Sunday.

A subsequent raid uncovered Rs 47 lakh more in unexplained cash.

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According to official sources, Dhiman Chakma, a 2021-batch IAS officer and serving as Sub-Collector of Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district, was caught red-handed by Odisha Vigilance while accepting Rs 10 lakh bribe from a local businessman.

The bribe was reportedly part of a larger illegal demand totaling Rs 20 lakh, allegedly made under threat of administrative action against the complainant’s business.

IAS officer Chakma was caught while accepting a bribe from a crusher owner in Jayapatna locality of the district. Senior officials of Odisha Vigilance are involved in the raid, which was underway till the time when this report was filed.

House search by Vigilance underway

The Sub-Collector had summoned the complainant to his official residence in Dharamgarh, where he personally verified the currency- 26 bundles of notes in various denominations—using both hands before placing the cash in his office table drawer. Subsequent chemical tests on his hands and the drawer confirmed the presence of bribe money.

Following the trap, Vigilance officers conducted an extensive search of the Sub-Collector’s official residence, resulting in the recovery of an additional Rs 47 lakh in unaccounted cash.

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A Vigilance Cell PS Case No.-6/2025 under Section 7 of the PC Act, 1988 as amended by PC (Amendment) Act, 2018 has been registered in this connection.

Further searches are underway to trace other 'ill-gotten assets', a Vigilance press release stated.