Three more Odisha government employees have been arrested in connection with the alleged misappropriation of around Rs 9.24 crore in public funds, taking the total number of apprehended people in the case to nine, the state Vigilance Department said on Saturday.
The latest arrests involve a senior accountant at the district treasury office in Bhubaneswar, a senior assistant at the Puri Road and Building Division of the Works Department, and a peon posted at the Bhubaneswar Road and Building Division. The Vigilance Department said the three were allegedly involved in the financial irregularities.
The case concerns the alleged misappropriation of public money in the office of the Superintending Engineer, Road and Buildings Division-I, Bhubaneswar. The department has described the amount involved as approximately Rs 9.24 crore.
Six other accused people were arrested on September 27 and remanded to jail custody, according to the report. The latest arrests extend the investigation across offices connected with treasury operations and the state Works Department’s road and building divisions.
The reported involvement of employees from a district treasury office and multiple Road and Buildings Division offices places the alleged transactions within the chain through which public works funds are handled, recorded and disbursed. The available information does not specify the nature of the alleged transactions, the period over which the money was diverted, or the identities and official roles of the other accused people.
The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation by the state’s anti-corruption agency. The Vigilance Department has not, in the information available, stated whether additional arrests or disciplinary action are planned, nor has it disclosed the status of any recovery of the allegedly misappropriated funds.
The case also involves public funds allocated to a government engineering and infrastructure administration office. Any findings from the investigation will determine how the alleged misappropriation took place, whether financial procedures were bypassed, and the extent of responsibility attributed to each accused person. The arrested employees remain accused in the case, and the allegations will be subject to legal proceedings.
The Vigilance Department’s investigation is continuing after the arrests of the three employees, while the six people arrested earlier remain in jail custody as reported.
