Odisha Vigilance arrests 2 officials in ₹3.02 crore fund misappropriation
Synopsis
Odisha Vigilance has arrested two former Tirtol block officials for allegedly siphoning ₹3.02 crore in public funds over a decade by doctoring salary registers and submitting inflated bills. The case, spanning 2011 to 2022, is among the more brazen instances of sustained block-level fraud uncovered in recent years — and comes as Chief Minister Majhi publicly doubles down on zero-tolerance for corruption.
Key Takeaways
Odisha Vigilance arrested Bhanja Kishore Behera and Pradipta Kumar Mallik on 13 August in a ₹3.02 crore misappropriation case.
The fraud allegedly occurred at Tirtol block office , Jagatsinghpur district , across financial years 2011–12 to 2021–22 .
Accused allegedly fabricated salary registers and submitted inflated bills, routing funds to personal bank accounts.
30/26 registered at Kataka Vigilance Police Station on 12 August under Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has ordered a zero-tolerance policy; recently dismissed a separate official for corruption.
Odisha Vigilance on Thursday, 13 August 2026, arrested two former government officials from Tirtol block in Jagatsinghpur district in connection with the alleged misappropriation of public funds worth ₹3.02 crore. The arrests follow an extensive probe spanning over a decade of financial records, officials said.
Who Was Arrested
The two accused have been identified as Bhanja Kishore Behera, former Senior Revenue Assistant (SRA) of Tirtol block, currently posted as SRA at Naugaon Tahasil; and Pradipta Kumar Mallik, retired ex-Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO) of Tirtol block, Jagatsinghpur district. A third accused, late Rajdeep Hansda, former Assistant Executive Engineer of Tirtol block, is deceased.
How the Fraud Was Executed
According to a senior Vigilance official, the investigation covered financial years 2011–12 through 2021–22 and uncovered a systematically executed financial fraud centred at the Tirtol block office. The three accused allegedly misappropriated government funds worth ₹3,02,95,000 by fabricating and tampering with government salary registers and disbursal documents.
Investigators found that the accused prepared and submitted inflated and fraudulent salary bills well beyond sanctioned budget allocations, then transferred the embezzled amounts directly into their personal savings bank accounts.
Case Registered
Odisha Vigilance has registered case No. 30/26 at the Kataka Vigilance Police Station on 12 August under Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and Sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
Zero-Tolerance Push by the Government
The arrests come amid a broader anti-corruption drive by the Odisha government. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently dismissed Patitapaban Barik, a medical officer posted at Gurandi Community Health Centre (CHC) in Gajapati district, after he was found guilty in a separate corruption case linked to his earlier tenure at Gurundia CHC in Sundargarh district.
Majhi has directed administration at all levels to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on corruption, repeatedly stating that no corrupt official will be spared. The Tirtol block case, spanning over a decade, underscores the scale of systemic oversight failures that vigilance agencies are now working to address.
Point of View
Arguably, institutional blind spots that went uncorrected for over a decade. Chief Minister Majhi's zero-tolerance rhetoric is politically useful, but the structural question is whether vigilance action is reactive or whether block-level financial controls have been tightened to prevent the next Tirtol. One dismissal and two arrests do not answer that.
NationPress
13 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who were arrested by Odisha Vigilance in the Jagatsinghpur corruption case?
Odisha Vigilance arrested Bhanja Kishore Behera , a former Senior Revenue Assistant of Tirtol block, and Pradipta Kumar Mallik , a retired ex-Panchayat Executive Officer of Tirtol block, on 13 August in connection with the alleged misappropriation of ₹3.02 crore in public funds.
How was the ₹3.02 crore misappropriated in the Tirtol block case?
According to Vigilance officials, the accused fabricated and tampered with government salary registers and disbursal documents, submitted inflated salary bills beyond sanctioned allocations, and transferred the embezzled funds directly into their personal savings bank accounts over financial years 2011–12 to 2021–22.
What charges have been filed in the Odisha Vigilance corruption case?
Case No. 30/26 was registered at Kataka Vigilance Police Station on 12 August under Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and Sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
What action has Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi taken on corruption?
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently dismissed Patitapaban Barik, a medical officer at Gurandi CHC in Gajapati district, after a corruption conviction. Majhi has directed all administrative levels to maintain a zero-tolerance policy and has stated that no corrupt official will be spared.
Who is the third accused in the Tirtol block fraud case?
The third accused is late Rajdeep Hansda, former Assistant Executive Engineer of Tirtol block, who is deceased. Vigilance officials named all three as central to the decade-long fraud at the Tirtol block office.
