Vigilance arrests crorepati Odisha officer, 4 others in DA case; Rs 2.06 cr cash, over 400gm gold seized so far

In a significant crackdown on bribes and corruption, the Odisha Vigilance on Friday arrested Santanu Mohapatra, the Deputy and Project Director of the Watershed, Malkangiri, on serious allegations of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known income and misappropriating government funds.

Mohapatra who led the Water distribution project, was apprehended after a comprehensive raid conducted on his premises. Four others have been apprehended for aiding Mohapatra in diverting public resources. Those arrested include three government officials and a Jan Seva Kendra operator.

The authorities have seized cash worth more than Rs 2.06 crore from Mr Mohapatra's residence, suggesting significant financial irregularities.

Also Read: Odisha Vigilance seizes Rs 2.06 crore in cash, 422 grams of gold from govt officer

“Raids by our team have been continuing since the last two days. Today also the search is on for the third day. We have recovered over Rs 2 crore in cash from him. Another Rs 6L has been recovered from his aides. He also owns a multi-storeyed building, 4 high-value plots, 422gm gold, 91L deposits in banks,” informed Vigilance Director Yashwant Jethwa.

“We suspect the deposit amount will increase as the probe is on. We have registered a case against him and he has been arrested. Four of his aides have also been arrested for facilitating in acquiring, hiding, and generating disproportionate assets,” the Vigilance director informed.