Odisha Vigilance Arrests Junior Engineer for Embezzlement of Govt Funds
Kendrapara, December 16, 2025: Odisha Vigilance officials arrested Ratnesh Kumar Pandey, Junior Engineer of Pattamundai Block in Kendrapara district, on charges of financial fraud and embezzlement of government funds.
Investigators revealed that Pandey misappropriated Gram Panchayat Developmental Funds during the 2023–24 financial year, diverting money allocated for the electrification of streetlights without executing the project.
During the probe, officers discovered that he had transferred Rs 9.70 lakh into his personal bank account at the SBI Pipili branch.
A case has been registered under Cuttack Vigilance PS Case No. 35/2025, invoking provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018 (Sections 13(2), 13(1)(a)/12) along with IPC Sections 409 and 120-B.Authorities have forwarded Pandey to the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Cuttack.
Officials confirmed that further inquiries are underway to trace additional evidence of misappropriation and determine the full extent of the financial irregularities.
This arrest underscores Odisha Vigilance’s ongoing crackdown on corruption and financial fraud in public offices, aiming to safeguard developmental funds meant for grassroots projects.
