Bhubaneswar, Mar 19: In a major breakthrough, officials of Odisha Vigilance have arrested retired headmaster Pradip Kumar Mohanty and his wife Gitarani Mohanty in connection with a massive embezzlement case involving government funds worth ₹5.56 crore.
According to Vigilance sources, the couple had been on the run, frequently shifting locations across Odisha and West Bengal to evade arrest after the fraud surfaced. They were reportedly hiding in Kolkata before moving towards Bhadrak, where they were apprehended from a hotel early on Thursday morning. Both are currently being interrogated.
Earlier, Mohanty’s son, Matruprasad Mohanty, a branch head at Jana Small Finance Bank in Bhadrak, had also been arrested for his alleged role in the scam.
The fraud targeted the Office of the Block Education Officer (BEO), Korei in Jajpur district, resulting in a loss of over ₹5.56 crore. Investigators revealed that the misappropriated funds were diverted into personal accounts of the accused and their associates.
Preliminary findings suggest that Pradip Mohanty illegally accessed the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) and manipulated records of 13 retired teachers, falsely showing them as active employees to siphon off funds.
Officials said the case indicates a well-organised conspiracy, and further investigation is underway to trace additional links and recover the embezzled amount.
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