Who Is Debabrata Mohanty? Senior Mining Officer Gets Caught With Rs. 4 Crore At Home After He Was Caught Taking ₹30,000 Bribe From A Local Coal Seller

The Odisha Vigilance Department has arrested a senior mining officer after seizing over Rs 4 crore in unaccounted cash during raids, the largest cash haul in a corruption case in the state’s history.

Largest Cash Seizure in Odisha

Debabrata Mohanty, who serves as Deputy Director of Mines for the Cuttack Circle, was caught on Tuesday taking a Rs 30,000 bribe from a licensed coal trader.

Investigators said Mohanty demanded the money to keep the trader’s coal depot running smoothly and to clear permissions for coal transport.

Vigilance officials set up a sting operation and caught Mohanty in the act. They seized the bribe money on the spot.

After the arrest, teams searched three locations: Mohanty’s flat in Bhubaneswar, his ancestral home in Bhadrak district, and his office in Cuttack.

Odisha Corruption Crackdown: Senior Mining Official Arrested

At his Bhubaneswar apartment, officers found over Rs 4 crore in cash stashed away in trolley bags and cupboards. Officials are still counting the money to get the exact figure.

They also found Rs 1.2 lakh in Mohanty’s office drawer and during a personal search. Early investigations turned up more assets too, a two-storey house on a 2,400-square-foot plot in Bhubaneswar and about 130 grams of gold.

Police have booked Mohanty under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, at the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station.

Searches are still going on, and vigilance officials said they expect to recover even more as the investigation moves forward.  

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