Odisha IAS officer caught red-handed for Rs 10 lakh bribe sent to judicial custody

Bhubaneswar: A 2021-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, Dhiman Chakma, arrested by the Odisha Vigilance after he was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a local businessman on Sunday night, was sent to judicial custody by a local court in Kalahandi on Monday.

The bribe was reportedly the first instalment of a Rs 20 lakh demand.

The arrest took place at Chakma’s official residence in Dharamgarh, Kalahandi district. On Monday, he was produced before the Vigilance Court in Kalahandi and remanded to judicial custody. A case has been registered against him under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

According to Vigilance officials, Chakma, 35, currently posted as Sub-Collector of Dharamgarh, had allegedly demanded Rs 20 lakh from a businessman who owns a stone crusher unit, threatening action against the unit if the demand was not met.

Left with no option, the businessman approached Vigilance authorities, who then laid a trap.

“Based on the complaint, a trap was laid on the night of Sunday. Dhiman Chakma was caught red-handed at his government residence while accepting Rs 10 lakh as a bribe. The entire bribe amount was recovered from his possession and seized in the presence of witnesses. His hand wash tested positive for chemical traces, confirming the handling of the bribe money,” a Vigilance statement said.

Following the arrest, simultaneous raids were conducted at Chakma’s government residence and office chamber. During the search, an additional Rs 47 lakh in cash was recovered from his residence. As he failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the large amount of unaccounted cash, it was seized as part of the investigation.

Chakma, a native of Tripura, had earlier joined the Odisha cadre as an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer in 2019 and served briefly as Assistant Conservator of Forests in Baripada, Mayurbhanj.

He later cleared the civil services examination again in 2021, secured a higher rank, and was inducted into the IAS. He was posted as Sub-Collector of Dharamgarh in January 2024.

IANS