Vigilance Uncovers ₹2 Crore Scam: Malkangiri Deputy Director and Aides Arrested
Malkangiri: In a significant anti-corruption crackdown, the Vigilance Department has uncovered further evidence against Shri Santanu Mohapatra, Deputy Director and Project Director (PD) of Watershed, Malkangiri. Shri Mohapatra was brought to Bhubaneswar on Friday for an inventory of his locker at the SBI Kapilaprasad Branch. The search revealed ₹2 lakh in cash, along with land sale deeds and other property documents, bringing the total cash recovered in the case to ₹2,08,92,850. Of this, ₹2 crore was directly traced to Shri Mohapatra, with the remaining amount recovered from his associates.
The investigation has exposed an elaborate embezzlement scheme involving government funds allocated for development projects. Shri Mohapatra, along with his associates—Assistant Agriculture Engineer Mohan Mandal, Data Entry Operator Biswajit Mandal, Contractual Employee Amiyakanta Sahu, and Jan Seva Kendra operator Alekh Pradhan—allegedly created fake labor accounts to show fictitious project completions.
Funds were transferred to these accounts, withdrawn, and subsequently misappropriated. Searches at the residences of the accused uncovered over 35 laborer passbooks, shedding light on the fraudulent practices.
Further evidence implicated Shri Alekh Pradhan, who is believed to have acted as a middleman for Shri Mohapatra. Pradhan reportedly collected bribes online from contractors and others, transferring more than ₹1 crore to Shri Mohapatra between 2019 and 2024.
The Vigilance Department has also seized substantial movable and immovable assets belonging to Shri Mohapatra, estimated to be worth several crores. The assets include a three-storey residential building in Jeypore, four high-value plots in Bhubaneswar and Jeypore, 422.44 grams of gold jewelry, ₹91 lakh in bank and insurance deposits, luxury vehicles, and household articles worth ₹29.08 lakh. Cash amounts of ₹6.92 lakh, ₹1.19 lakh, and ₹81,000 were also recovered from the residences of Biswajit Mandal, Mohan Mandal, and Amiyakanta Sahu, respectively.
Shri Mohapatra and his aides were arrested and presented before the Vigilance Special Judge at Jeypore, where they were remanded to judicial custody. Preliminary calculations indicate that Shri Mohapatra’s disproportionate assets are 414% higher than his known sources of income. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018, against Shri Mohapatra and his spouse.
The Vigilance Department has assured that further investigations are underway to unearth the full extent of the corruption and bring all those involved to justice.
