Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance on Sunday caught Dhiman Chakma (a 2021-batch IAS officer), Sub-Collector of Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a local businessman.
According to an official press release, Dhiman Chakma was caught red-handed today while demanding and accepting Rs 10 lakh as the first installment of a total bribe demand of Rs 20 lakh. He allegedly threatened to take adverse action against the businessman’s enterprise if the bribe was not paid.
The Sub-Collector summoned the complainant to his official government residence in Dharamgarh, where he received the bribe amount. He reportedly counted 26 bundles of currency notes using both hands and stored the cash in the drawer of his office table. Chemical tests conducted on the hand wash and the drawer wash samples confirmed the presence of the bribe money.
Subsequent searches at his official residence led to the recovery of an additional Rs 47 lakh in cash.
Vigilance Cell has registered PS Case No. 6/2025 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.
The investigation is currently ongoing and further updates are awaited.
