Mining Officer Arrested for ₹30000 Bribe as ₹4 Crore Cash Haul Stuns Odisha

Bhubaneswar | February 25, 2026: In a dramatic crackdown on alleged corruption, the Odisha Vigilance uncovered more than ₹4 crore in cash from the Bhubaneswar flat of a senior mines official just hours after arresting him for accepting a bribe of ₹30,000.

The accused, Debabrata Mohanty, Deputy Director of Mines in the Cuttack Circle, was caught during a trap operation while allegedly taking money from a licensed coal trader. Investigators said the bribe was demanded to allow smooth functioning of the trader’s coal depot and to facilitate coal transportation permissions.

Soon after the arrest, vigilance teams launched simultaneous searches at properties linked to the officer including his Bhubaneswar apartment, his ancestral home in Bhadrak and his office chamber in Cuttack.

Officials said bundles of currency notes were found hidden inside trolley bags and almirahs at the city flat. The amount seized is being counted to determine the exact total, though preliminary estimates place it above ₹4 crore. The agency described it as the largest cash seizure in its history.

Director General of Vigilance Y K Jethwa stated that the searches point to assets disproportionate to the officer’s known income.

In addition to the massive cash recovery, officials seized ₹1.20 lakh from the officer’s office drawer and approximately 130 grams of gold during the raids. A large double storeyed house located in Pahala on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar has also been identified as part of the ongoing investigation.

The ₹30,000 allegedly accepted as bribe was recovered from Mohanty at the time of the trap, in the presence of witnesses.

According to vigilance officials, the recovery surpasses earlier high value seizures in the state. In July 2025, ₹1.44 crore was recovered from a forest department officer in Koraput district. In March 2022, ₹1.39 crore along with over a kilogram of gold ornaments was seized from a rural works engineer in Malkangiri district.

The latest development has intensified scrutiny on officials handling mining operations and regulatory clearances. Authorities said further investigation is underway to trace the origin of the seized cash and examine possible financial irregularities.