Odisha Vigilance arrested a Forest Department official on Friday for allegedly embezzling Rs 55 lakh in government funds.
The accused, identified as Jaya Kumar Juad, is a forester currently stationed at the Biswanathpur Forest Range Office in Biswanathpur, under Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district.
The Odisha Vigilance arrested Juad for allegedly misappropriating government funds amounting to Rs 55,04,607 by preparing fake muster rolls and vouchers in connection with Soil and Moisture Conservation (SMC) works at plantation sites under the Thuamul Rampur Forest Section in Kalahandi district.
Investigations revealed that Juad systematically misappropriated Rs 55,04,607 during the 2024–25 period. The funds were earmarked for Soil and Moisture Conservation (SMC) works across three plantation sites in the Thuamul Rampur Forest Section, Vigilance sources said.
The misappropriation involved high-priority environmental funds, including those under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Compensatory Afforestation (CA), and Catchment Plan Area (CPA) schemes.
According to Vigilance sources, Juad, along with his accomplices, bypassed financial safeguards by fabricating fake muster rolls—using names of non-existent labourers or inflating work hours—and forging vouchers for materials and logistics that were never actually procured. He is also accused of forging vouchers by submitting false bills for materials and logistics that were never procured or utilised.
Juad has been booked under the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
He will be produced before the court.
In a separate case, Odisha Vigilance arrested two former officials of Chitalo Degree Mohavidyalaya in Jajpur district.
Adwaita Prasad Mallick (former Principal and current Odia lecturer) and Badri Narayan Ray (former President) were taken into custody for allegedly misappropriating Rs 32,07,620. These funds were specifically allocated for a self-defence training program intended for the college’s female students.
Mallick is currently serving as an Odia lecturer at the same institution.
