Odisha Forest Department clerk arrested in ₹65.90 lakh fraud spanning 10 years
Synopsis
A Forest Department clerk in Odisha's Dhenkanal district allegedly siphoned ₹65.90 lakh in public funds over ten years by routing salaries, pensions, and fraudulent travel claims into private accounts — including his own mother's. Odisha Vigilance tracked the trio through mobile location monitoring after they evaded arrest, culminating in a court production on Sunday.
Key Takeaways
Odisha Vigilance arrested Sujit Kumar Jena , Senior Clerk, DFO Office Dhenkanal , and two associates on 18 October 2026 .
The alleged fraud totalled ₹65,90,773 , spanning 2016 to 2026 .
Funds were allegedly diverted from salaries, pensions, arrear bills, contingency expenses, and fraudulent Travelling Allowance (T.A.) claims. ₹8,72,520 went to Jena's mother; ₹10,48,866 to co-accused Soumya Ranjan Behera ; ₹8,86,193 to associate Rashmi Ranjan Swain .
All three were produced before the Special Judge, Vigilance, Dhenkanal ; case registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and BNS .
Odisha Vigilance on Sunday, 18 October 2026, arrested Sujit Kumar Jena, a senior clerk at the office of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Dhenkanal, along with two associates, on charges of misappropriating government funds totalling ₹65,90,773 over a decade spanning 2016 to 2026. The agency described the arrests as a major breakthrough in an embezzlement case that allegedly exploited administrative access to drain public money into private accounts.
Who Was Arrested
The three accused are Sujit Kumar Jena, Senior Clerk, DFO Office, Dhenkanal; Soumya Ranjan Behera, a Forest Department staff member attached to the Elephant Squad, Sadar Range; and Rashmi Ranjan Swain, identified as a close associate of Jena. According to the Vigilance, the trio had evaded arrest for an extended period after the fraud came to light, before being tracked down through technical intelligence and mobile location monitoring.
How the Fraud Was Allegedly Carried Out
A comprehensive verification of transactions from 2016 to 2026 reportedly uncovered a systematic pattern of fraud. Investigators allege that Jena exploited his administrative access to divert public funds into private bank accounts belonging to himself, family members, and co-conspirators.
According to the Vigilance statement, the diverted funds included salaries of dismissed and absconding employees, retiring employees' arrear bills, provisional pensions, establishment pay bills, contingency expenses, staff arrear salaries, and fraudulent Travelling Allowance (T.A.) claims. The scheme allegedly ran undetected for nearly a decade before investigators closed in.
Money Trail: Key Amounts Transferred
The investigation identified specific transfers linked to the fraud. According to the official statement, ₹8,72,520 was transferred to the bank account of Jena's mother; ₹10,48,866 went to co-accused Soumya Ranjan Behera; and ₹8,86,193 was routed to associate Rashmi Ranjan Swain. The remaining funds were allegedly siphoned into accounts belonging to Jena and other parties identified during the investigation.
Legal Action and Next Steps
A case numbered 40/26 has been registered at the Kataka Vigilance Police Station under the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). All three accused were produced before the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Dhenkanal, on Sunday. The case is among a series of public-sector fraud investigations that Odisha Vigilance has pursued this year, signalling intensified scrutiny of departmental financial controls. Further investigation into the full extent of the money trail is expected to continue.
Point of View
But the deeper issue — how fraudulent T.A. claims, ghost-employee salaries, and pension diversions went undetected for nearly ten years — demands an independent review of departmental controls, not just prosecution of individuals.
NationPress
18 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was arrested in the Odisha Forest Department fraud case?
Odisha Vigilance arrested Sujit Kumar Jena , a Senior Clerk at the DFO Office in Dhenkanal, along with Soumya Ranjan Behera , a Forest Department staff member, and Rashmi Ranjan Swain , a close associate, on 18 October 2026. The trio was arrested in Dhenkanal district on charges of misappropriating ₹65,90,773 in government funds.
How much money was allegedly misappropriated and over what period?
The total alleged misappropriation amounts to ₹65,90,773 , spanning a period from 2016 to 2026 — nearly ten years. Investigators uncovered a systematic pattern of diverting public funds into private bank accounts through fraudulent salary, pension, and travel allowance claims.
What charges have been filed against the accused?
A case has been registered at Kataka Vigilance Police Station under the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) . The case number is 40/26 , and all three accused were produced before the Court of the Special Judge, Vigilance, Dhenkanal, on Sunday.
How did Odisha Vigilance track down the accused?
After the fraud was exposed, the accused evaded arrest for an extended period. Odisha Vigilance used technical intelligence and mobile location monitoring to track their movements and apprehend them, according to the official statement.
What types of funds were allegedly diverted in this case?
According to investigators, the diverted funds included salaries of dismissed and absconding employees, retiring employees' arrear bills, provisional pensions, establishment pay bills, contingency expenses, staff arrear salaries, and fraudulent Travelling Allowance claims — all routed out of Forest Department accounts over a decade.
