5 Convicted, 4 Get 3-Yr Jail Term In Odisha Vigilance Case For Swindling Rs 1.14 Cr

Bhubaneswar: A special court in Baripada on Monday convicted five persons, including three government officials, for misappropriating over Rs 1.14 crore. Four of them were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for three years in the case slapped by Odisha Vigilance.

An official release said the court convicted Ashok Kumar Mohapatra, former Executive Engineer (Retired), Pradeep Kumar Panda, former Sr. Divisional Accounts Officer (Retired), Baikuntha Nath Naik, former Jr. Clerk-cum-Auditor (retired), all of DEO Irrigation Division, Karanjia, Mayurbhanj, Tushar Mishra, Managing Director (MD) and Sankara Narayan, Project Director (of M/s B. Engineers and Builders, Mancheswar, Bhubaneswar.

All of them were charge sheeted by Odisha Vigilance in a Case U/s 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of PC Act, 1988/418/420/120-B IPC for misappropriation of government money of Rs 1,14,26,194 in connection with construction of earth dam and truncated spillway work of the DEO Irrigation Project.

The court sentenced the four convicts namely Ashok Kumar Mohapatra, Pradeep Kumar Panda, Baikuntha Nath Naik and Sankara Narayan to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 3 years each and to pay fine of Rs 50,000 each.

As accused Tushar Mishra did not appear today before the Court for hearing of sentence, NBW has been issued against him.

Odisha Vigilance will now move the competent authority for stoppage of pension of Ashok Kumar Mohapatra, Pradeep Kumar Panda and Baikuntha Nath Naik following their conviction.