Bhubaneswar: A day after Odisha vigilance seized a staggering Rs 4.27 crore in alleged ill-gotten cash from the residence of deputy director of mines, Debabrata Mohanty, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and income tax authorities (I-T) are expected to launch parallel investigations to trace the wider black money network.On Thursday, both agencies reportedly sought details of the operation from the vigilance directorate. “Since this is the largest cash seizure by us in the state, the ED and I-T want to be involved. We will share the requisite details with the central agencies. They have conducted simultaneous probes in several high-profile vigilance cases in the past,” a senior vigilance official said.
The state’s anti-corruption wing has decided to take Mohanty, who has been arrested, on remand for interrogation. “We are probing the source of the seized wealth, the period of its accumulation, suspected collusion with other officials and possible links to broader irregularities. During custodial interrogation, we will attempt to ascertain his modus operandi and trace the money trail,” the official added.The record haul has triggered public outrage, highlighting alleged deep-rooted corruption in the mining sector. Observers argued that Mohanty could not have amassed such wealth overnight, suggesting a chain of beneficiaries. Calls are growing for the probe to go beyond his arrest and expose everyone involved.Mohanty was arrested on Tuesday night while allegedly accepting a Rs 30,000 bribe from a coal vendor in Cuttack. The following morning, officials discovered Rs 4.27 crore in cash stuffed inside trolley bags and cupboards at his Patia flat in Bhubaneswar. An additional Rs 1.2 lakh was recovered from his office chamber in Cuttack. The sleuths also traced other assets, including a palatial double-storey house at Pahala in Bhubaneswar and about 130 grams of gold.
