3 held for diverting Rs 65L from forest office

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance department on Sunday arrested three persons in connection with the alleged embezzlement of Rs 65.90 lakh from the office of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in Dhenkanal over a period of 10 years, officials said.

The accused have been identified as Sujit Kumar Jena, a senior clerk at the DFO office, and his alleged accomplices Soumya Ranjan Behera, a staff member, and Rashmi Ranjan Swain.

A detailed verification of financial transactions spanning 2016 to 2026 found that Jena allegedly misused his administrative access to divert government funds into private bank accounts belonging to himself, his family members and associates.

The funds were allegedly transferred under various heads, including salaries of dismissed and absconding employees, arrears of retiring employees, provisional pensions, establishment pay bills, contingency expenses, staff salary arrears and travelling allowance claims.

During the investigation, Vigilance officials found that Rs 8.72 lakh had been transferred to the bank account of Jena’s mother, Rs 10.48 lakh to Behera, a staff member of the elephant squad in the Sadar range, and Rs 8.86 lakh to Swain, described as a close associate of the prime accused. After the alleged fraud came to light, the three accused evaded arrest for an extended period. The anti-corruption wing tracked their movements using technical intelligence and mobile location monitoring before arresting them, a Vigilance officer said.

A case has been registered at the Cuttack Vigilance police station under the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is underway to ascertain the possible involvement of other persons and fix accountability for the alleged misappropriation.