Odisha Vigilance Arrests PACS Secretary for Rs 40.71 Lakh Embezzlement in Deogarh
In a major crackdown on corruption within grassroots agricultural institutions, the Odisha Vigilance has arrested Suresh Chandra Sahu, Secretary of Kadopada Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) in Deogarh district.
Investigators allege that Sahu siphoned off Rs 40.71 lakh meant for farmers by deliberately omitting cash loan repayments from the PACS Day Book, the cooperative’s primary ledger.
This manipulation allowed him to pocket funds while destabilising the institution’s finances.
The fraud directly impacted farmers who had dutifully repaid their loans, only to find their payments unrecorded.
Authorities registered the case under anti‑corruption laws at the Rourkela Vigilance Police Station (Case No. 12/2025). Sahu has been presented before the Special Judge, Vigilance, Sambalpur, with further proceedings underway.
Officials say the case highlights systemic vulnerabilities in rural cooperatives, institutions designed to support Odisha’s farming communities.
A detailed Vigilance Directorate report is expected to shed more light on the scale of the embezzlement.
