BHUBANESWAR: The Vigilance department on Monday arrested two employees of the State Government, Pratap Gauda and Pravat Kumar Jena, on charges of misappropriation and forgery to the tune of Rs 45 lakh.
While Gauda works as a Senior Stenographer in Water Resources (WR) Department, Jena is posted as manager of Odisha State Cooperative Bank (OSCB), Saheed Nagar branch.
According to Vigilance officials, Jena had connived with Gauda and a former establishment officer of WR Department Rabindra Jena to sanction loans to fake beneficiaries by forging documents during his tenure as field officer of OSCB.
The loanees included Government officials and private persons who impersonated themselves as employees of the Drainage Division, Cuttack under the WR Department. The mastermind of the case, Rabindra, was arrested earlier, Vigilance SP Basanta Panigrahi said.
Gauda is a native of Bhanjanagar in Ganjam district and Jena belongs to Nayagarh. A case was registered by Bhubaneswar Vigilance Division and the accused were under Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.
RI for OMC Official
Bhubaneswar: A senior official of Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), Nrusingha Charan Sahoo, was convicted and sentenced to 30 months of rigorous imprisonment by the Special Judge, Special Court, Bhubaneswar on Monday. The conviction relates to a disproportionate assets case under Bhubaneswar Vigilance Division in December, 2008 following raids on Sahoo’s house at Kalinga Vihar here, his brother’s residence and ancestral house at Keonjhar and his office. Vigilance sleuths had stumbled upon assets worth Rs 22 lakh during the raids and Sahoo could not account for assets valued at Rs 14 lakh. He was booked under Prevention of Corruption Act. Sahoo has also to pay a fine of Rs two lakh. The confiscation proceedings of Sahoo’s assets are under process, Vigilance sources said.