In a major breakthrough in a long-running corruption case, the Odisha Vigilance Department, on Friday night, arrested Manoranjan Sahoo, a former Senior Clerk of the Hindol Sub-Treasury in Dhenkanal district.
Sahoo had been absconding for nearly two years after allegedly misappropriating Rs 68.85 lakh in government funds designated for family pension beneficiaries.
Confirming the arrest, the Vigilance officials stated that Sahoo is accused of systematically diverting Rs 68,85,497 over an extended period. Instead of transferring the pension payments to the rightful beneficiaries, he allegedly credited the funds into his own bank account and those of his relatives, effectively siphoning public money.
A case has been registered against Sahoo at the Cuttack Vigilance Police Station under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other relevant anti-corruption laws. Further investigation is currently underway.
Earlier on Thursday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Bhubaneswar Zonal Unit successfully secured the conviction of three individuals involved in drug trafficking.
The sentence was awarded by the Court of the 3rd Additional District and Sessions Judge, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
This case dates back to August 13, 2021, when officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau apprehended three accused persons with 20 kilograms of opium. Further investigation revealed that the accused were linked to an inter-state trafficking racket, in which opium was being transported by concealing it in a specially designed cavity inside the driver’s cabin of a truck.
A chargesheet was filed against all three accused in February 2022. The truck used for transporting the illegal opium was also seized. The three accused — Vijay Bhan, Suraj Pal, and Surendra — were sentenced on November 20 under sections 18(b), 25, 28, and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985 (as amended). Each of them was awarded 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
