Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance on Monday arrested two government functionaries for alleged misappropriation of Rs 21.98 lakh meant for Old Age Pension (OAP) and Madhubabu Pension Yojana ( MBPY).
They have been identified as Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO) Tuna Pradhan and Gram Rozgar Sevak (GRS) Sagar Kumar Das of Kanas Panchyat Samiti in Puri district.
According to Vigilance release, the amount was embezzled between 2022-23 and 2024-25 meant for distribution among the beneficiaries of the social security pension schemes.
While a case has been registered against the duo under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(a) of PC (Amendment) Act, 2018, and 316(5)/61(2) of BNS, further investigation is underway.
Earlier in the day, Soumya Ranjan Kheti, former Principal of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV) at Binika in Sonepur district, was also arrested for allegedly embezzling government money to the tune of Rs 55 lakh. He allegedly used Rs 11 lakh of the those amount to gamble and place bets on an online app, Teenpatti.