Bhubaneswar, June 9, 2025:
The Odisha Vigilance Directorate arrested Dhiman Chakma, a 2021-batch IAS officer who is currently assigned as the sub-collector of Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district, on Sunday. He was allegedly caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs. 10 lakh from a local businessman. Vigilance officials found an additional Rs 47 lakh in cash during follow-up searches at his official residence. This raises significant concerns regarding accountability and corruption in the state's administrative services, bringing the total amount seized to Rs 57 lakh.
"The accused was accepting the first installment of a Rs 20 lakh demand made to the businessman," said an Odisha Vigilance Directorate official. This is obviously a betrayal of confidence. The information revealed during the raid and arrest is reflected in this statement. "Our team followed the businessman's complaint, carried out a planned operation, and recovered the cash which proves intent and prior arrangement," the vigilance officer continued. This demonstrates how thoroughly the seizure was investigated.
Chakma, a 36-year-old Tripura native, obtained a 2021 batch posting after earning a degree in computer science from NIT Agartala. Prior to joining the IAS, he briefly studied for the Indian Forest Service. The focus of the investigation is now on determining whether similar illegal demands were made in other places. This case comes after a wave of anti-corruption initiatives in Odisha this year. The CBI arrested a deputy director of the Enforcement Directorate last week for allegedly demanding Rs 5 crore in bribes, and vigilance teams recently arrested a chief engineer who was observed dumping bundles of cash during a raid.
