Bhubaneswar: In the biggest-ever cash haul in its history, the Odisha Vigilance on Wednesday recovered over Rs 4 crore in unaccounted cash from the residence of Deputy Director of Mines, Cuttack Circle, Debabrata Mohanty.
The massive recovery came just hours after Mohanty was arrested late on Tuesday night after being allegedly caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a coal vendor to facilitate smooth operations at a coal depot and grant transport permissions.
Searches conducted simultaneously at three locations — Mohanty’s flat at Nature’s Crest Apartment in Shree Vihar, Patia (Bhubaneswar), his parental house at Mathasahi in Bhadrak district, and his office chamber in Cuttack — yielded stacks of currency notes stuffed inside trolley bags and almirahs. Counting of the cash was still underway, with officials confirming the amount had crossed Rs 4 crore. An additional Rs 1.20 lakh was recovered from his office drawer. Other assets found include a double-storeyed building in Bhubaneswar and approximately 130 grams of gold.
Vigilance Director Yeshwant Jethwa termed the seizure “unprecedented” and the highest single cash recovery ever made by the anti-corruption wing in Odisha.
This record haul surpasses the previous highest of Rs 3.42 crore seized on April 7, 2022, from the house of Kartikeswar Raul, Assistant Engineer, Minor Irrigation at Bhanjanagar in Ganjam.
Earlier Top Cash Seizures (in crore) by Odisha Vigilance:
Rs 3.42 crore – Kartikeswar Raul, AE, MI, Bhanjanagar, Ganjam (07.04.2022)
Rs 3.12 crore – Prasanta Kumar Rout, Addl. Sub-Collector, Nabarangpur (22/23.06.2023)
Rs 2.56 crore – Baikuntha Nath Sarangi, Chief Engineer, Plan Roads, RW Department, Bhubaneswar (30.05.2025)
Rs 2.08 crore – Santanu Mohapatra, DD & PD, Watershed, Malkangiri (06.02.2025)
Rs 1.64 crore – Umesh Chandra Jena, Additional Director, Directorate of Mines, Bhubaneswar (03.03.2023)
Rs 1.43 crore – Rama Chandra Nepak, Deputy Ranger, Jeypore Forest Range, Koraput (25.07.2025)
Rs 1.40 crore – Ashish Kumar Das, SE, RW Division, Malkangiri (25.03.2022)
Rs 1.13 crore – Dr Sukant Jena, Gynaecologist, Charichhaka CHC (following trap on 16.02.2022)
Rs 1.06 crore – Gaya Santara, Joint Manager, IDCOL (20/21.12.2022)
Rs 1.02 crore – Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra, Ex-DFO, Athagarh, Cuttack (24.02.2016)
Notably, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi informed the State Assembly on Monday that the Vigilance Department has registered a total of 416 cases against government officers and employees in the state from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025, for taking bribes, committing financial irregularities in government fund and possession of disproportionate assets.