Bhubaneswar, Feb 7: The Odisha Vigilance Department on Friday arrested Santanu Mohapatra, Deputy Director and Project Director of Watershed in Malkangiri district, for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Along with him, four of his accomplices were also taken into custody.

According to reports, during searches at Mohapatra’s properties, Vigilance officials unearthed a multi-storey building, four high-value plots, approximately 422 grams of gold, fixed deposits worth over ₹91 lakh, and ₹2 crore in cash. As Mohapatra failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for these assets, he was arrested and will be presented before the court.

Additionally, four others—Assistant Agriculture Engineer Mohan Mandal, Data Entry Operator Biswajit Mandal, contractual staffer Amiyakanta Sahu, and private individual Alekh Pradhan—were arrested for their role in siphoning government funds.

A case (Koraput Vigilance PS Case No. 02/2025) has been registered against Mohapatra, and further investigation is underway. Authorities have vowed to continue cracking down on corruption in government departments.

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