Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Wednesday arrested Matruprasad Mohanty, Branch Head of Jana Small Finance Bank in Bhadrak, for his alleged involvement in embezzlement of government funds.
The fraud, which targeted the Office of the Block Education Officer (BEO) at Korei in Jajpur, resulted in a staggering loss of Rs. 5,56,11,495, a Vigilance press release said.
Investigation revealed a sophisticated collaboration between Matruprasad Mohanty and his father, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, a retired headmaster re-engaged at the BEO office. Pradip Kumar Mohanty allegedly accessed the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) illegally and targeted the IDs of 13 retired teachers, falsifying records to show them as “active” in service.
He then prepared monthly pension bills in their names, routing the funds through a series of transactions into accounts held by him, his son, and other family members across various branches of State Bank of India (SBI).
The fraud continued for around six years from November 2018 to September 2024. A case has been registered against Matruprasad Mohanty under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018, and relevant sections of the IPC. He has been arrested and will be produced before the court soon.
