The Odisha Vigilance Department has a senior mining officer after it recovered more than Rs 4 crore in unaccounted cash during raids, marking the state’s biggest cash seizure in a corruption case to date.

Debabrata Mohanty, posted as Deputy Director of Mines, Cuttack Circle, was caught red-handed on Tuesday while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a licensed coal trader. Investigators said Mohanty had demanded the money in exchange for allowing the smooth functioning of the trader’s coal depot and granting permission for coal transportation.

Vigilance officials, who called the seizure the biggest ever in its history, laid a trap and caught Mohanty while he was receiving the bribe. The entire amount was recovered and seized on the spot.

Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were conducted at three locations — Mohanty’s flat in Bhubaneswar, his ancestral home in Bhadrak district and his office chamber in Cuttack.

During the raid at Mohanty’s apartment in Bhubaneswar, officials recovered over Rs 4 crore in cash, allegedly concealed in trolley bags and cupboards. The counting of the seized money is still underway to determine the exact amount, officials said.

In addition, Rs 1.20 lakh was recovered from Mohanty’s office drawer and during his personal search. Preliminary investigations have also revealed other assets, including a two-storey residential house built on around 2,400 square feet of land in Bhubaneswar and about 130 grams of gold.

A case has been registered against Mohanty under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, at the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station.

Search operations are continuing and vigilance officials said further recoveries cannot be ruled out as the probe progresses.

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Published By:

Prateek Chakraborty

Published On:

Feb 25, 2026