Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough, the Odisha Vigilance has arrested the Branch Head of Jana Small Finance Bank (Bhadrak), Matruprasad Mohanty for his involvement in a massive embezzlement of government funds.The fraud, which targeted the Office of the Block Education Officer (BEO), Korei, in Jajpur, resulted in a staggering loss of Rs. 5,56,11,495.The investigation revealed a sophisticated collaboration between Matruprasad Mohanty and his father, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, a retired Headmaster re-engaged at the BEO office. Pradip Kumar Mohanty allegedly accessed the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) illegally and targeted the IDs of 13 retired teachers, falsifying records to show them as “active” in service.He then prepared monthly pension bills in their names, routing the funds through a series of transactions into accounts held by him, his son, and other family members across various State Bank of India (SBI) branches.The fraud spanned nearly six years, from November 2018 to September 2024. A case has been registered against Matruprasad Mohanty under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018, and sections of the IPC. He has been arrested and will be produced before the court today.This arrest comes amid intensified anti-corruption efforts in Odisha, with the Vigilance Department recently uncovering a record Rs. 4 crore cash seizure in a separate case involving the deputy director of mines.
