Odisha Vigilance apprehended an official from a private bank in Bhadrak for his involvement in embezzling more than Rs 5.56 crore of government funds along with his father, a retired teacher. The accused, Matruprasad Mohanty, who served as the Branch Head of Jana Small Finance Bank, collaborated with his father, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, to carry out the fraud at the Block Education Officer (BEO) office in Jajpur district, resulting in a loss of Rs 5,56,11,495.
A detailed investigation by Odisha Vigilance uncovered a sophisticated scheme between Matruprasad and his father, Pradip Kumar, who was re-engaged at the BEO office. Pradip Kumar, the main culprit, exploited his position to manipulate the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) and misused the identities of 13 retired teachers to generate and process fake monthly pension bills, diverting the funds into accounts held by their family members across various State Bank of India (SBI) branches.
The fraudulent activities, which transpired over nearly six years from November 2018 to September 2024, were brought to light by the Education Department, leading to Odisha Vigilance’s intervention. Matruprasad was arrested following the investigation, during which it was discovered that a substantial portion of the embezzled sum was channeled into his personal account. Authorities are currently pursuing Pradip Kumar, the prime suspect, and a case has been filed at the Cuttack Vigilance Police Station under relevant laws.
