Dhenkanal, Oct 18: Odisha Vigilance has unearthed a decade-long financial embezzlement of Rs 65.90 lakh at the office of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Dhenkanal, and arrested a senior clerk and two accomplices in connection with the case.

The accused have been identified as Sujit Kumar Jena, a senior clerk at the DFO office, Soumya Ranjan Behera, a staff member of the Elephant Squad under Sadar Range, and Rashmi Ranjan Swain, an associate of Jena.

According to Odisha Vigilance, a detailed verification of financial transactions spanning the period from 2016 to 2026 uncovered a systematic pattern of alleged misappropriation of government funds. Investigators found that Jena had allegedly misused his official access to divert public money into private bank accounts belonging to himself, his family members and associates.

The alleged fraud involved funds meant for salaries of dismissed and absconding employees, arrear payments of retiring employees, provisional pensions, establishment pay bills, contingency expenses, staff salary arrears and fraudulent Travelling Allowance (TA) claims.

During the investigation, Vigilance officials reportedly traced Rs 8,72,520 to the bank account of Jena's mother, Rs 10,48,866 to the account of Soumya Ranjan Behera and Rs 8,86,193 to the account of Rashmi Ranjan Swain.

After the alleged financial irregularities came to light, the three accused reportedly evaded arrest for an extended period. Odisha Vigilance subsequently tracked their movements using technical intelligence and mobile location monitoring, leading to their arrest.

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In connection with the case, Odisha Vigilance has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Jena, Behera and Swain.

The three accused were forwarded to the court of the Special Vigilance Judge, Dhenkanal, for further legal proceedings.

Further investigation is underway to determine whether other individuals were involved in the alleged misappropriation and to establish their roles and accountability, said the Vigilance.