Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance has arrested two former government officials of Tirtol Block in Jagatsinghpur district for allegedly misappropriating government funds worth more than Rs 3 crore.
The arrested have been identified as Bhanja Kishore Behera, Ex-SRA of Tirtol Block and currently posted as SRA at Naugaon Tahasil, and Pradipta Kumar Mallik, Ex-PEO of Tirtol Block who has now retired.
According to the Vigilance release, the case pertains to a financial fraud that was allegedly carried out between financial years 2011–12 and 2021–22 at the Tirtol Block office.
During the investigation, Vigilance found that Behera, Mallik and Late Rajdeep Hansda, Ex-AEE of Tirtol Block, had systematically misappropriated public money by fabricating and tampering with government salary registers and disbursal documents. The accused allegedly prepared and submitted inflated and fraudulent salary bills well beyond the sanctioned budget allocations. The embezzled amount was then transferred directly into their personal Savings Bank accounts, the release stated.
In connection with the case, Odisha Vigilance has registered Kataka Vigilance PS Case No. 30 dated 12.08.2026 under Sections 13(2) read with 13(1)(a) of the PC Amendment Act, 2018 and Sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 34 of the IPC against the accused individuals.
Behera and Mallik were produced before the Court of Special Vigilance Judge, Kataka on Thursday. The investigation into the matter is currently in progress.
