Odisha Vigilance Arrests Officials in ₹55.69 Lakh Pattanaik Tank Fraud
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance has arrested three individuals — former Junior Engineer D. Yudhistir, Municipal Engineer Sanjeev Champati, and contractor Surendra Panigrahi — for their alleged involvement in a Rs 55.69 lakh fraud linked to the Pattanaik Tank reclamation and renovation project at Paralakhemundi, Gajapati.
Investigators revealed that Yudhistir made inflated and false entries in official Measurement Books, which were later validated by Champati during inspections.
Based on these falsified records, Panigrahi received unlawful payments.
A total of Rs 1.22 crore was disbursed across three RA bills, despite independent technical assessments confirming substandard work.
The Vigilance has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, along with IPC sections 120-B, 409, 420, 468, 471, and 477-A. All three accused will be produced in court.
Officials emphasised that this action is part of an intensified crackdown on corruption in public works and misuse of government funds.
