DHENKANAL: Odisha Vigilance Department arrested three persons on Sunday in connection with a decade-long financial embezzlement to the tune of Rs 65.90 lakh.
Officials identified the accused as Sujit Kumar Jena (37), a senior clerk at the office of the divisional forest officer; Soumya Ranjan Behera (29), a staff member of the elephant squad, Sadar range; and associate Rashmi Ranjan Swain (29).
Vigilance investigators verified transactions from 2016 to 2026 and unearthed a systematic pattern of fraud. The investigation revealed that the principal accused, Jena, exploited his administrative access to siphon off public funds into private bank accounts belonging to himself, his family members, and co-conspirators.
Jena allegedly unlawfully routed out of public funds salaries intended for dismissed and absconding employees, retiring employees’ arrear bills, provisional pensions, government allocations meant for establishment pay bills, contingency expenses, staff arrear salaries, and fraudulent travelling allowance claims.
Officials said Rs 8,72,520 was found to have been transferred to the bank account of Jena’s mother, Rs 10,48,866 to Behera, and Rs 8,86,193 to Swain. After the crime was exposed, the trio had managed to evade arrest for an extended period, said officials. Vigilance registered a case under Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant sections of BNS against the accused and forwarded them to court.