Bhubaneswar, February 12:A junior assistant working in Odisha’s health department has been arrested for allegedly embezzling ₹2.38 crore by fraudulently inflating his monthly salary over an eight-year period, exceeding that of India’s Cabinet Secretary, vigilance officials said.
Subrat Kumar Behera, employed as a junior assistant at the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) office in Angul, was apprehended by the Odisha Vigilance. He was presented before the Special Judge, Vigilance, Angul, for possessing disproportionate assets that were 205% higher than his known sources of income — assets he failed to justify.
Behera is accused of misappropriating ₹2.38 crore by drawing inflated salary amounts from 2017 to 2025. According to vigilance officials, searches conducted at five locations linked to Behera uncovered assets that starkly contrasted with the income of a junior assistant. Among the seized items were a 4,500-square-foot, triple-storey building in Angul, approximately 450 grams of gold jewellery, and nearly ₹36 lakh in bank and postal deposits.
Despite holding a junior assistant position with a basic pay ranging between ₹19,000 to ₹22,000 per month, Behera allegedly manipulated the salary system to draw a basic salary of ₹3.36 lakh to ₹7.36 lakh monthly between 2017 and 2025. Additionally, he inflated his dearness allowance to between ₹9.05 lakh and ₹14.06 lakh per month from March to June 2021. For context, India’s Cabinet Secretary, the country’s highest-ranking IAS officer, receives a basic pay of ₹2.5 lakh per month.
The vigilance team uncovered a lavish lifestyle incompatible with the earnings of a junior assistant. Along with the building and gold jewellery, Behera owned two cars — a Skoda and a Polo GT 1.2 TSI — three two-wheelers, and household items valued at approximately ₹17 lakh.
Vigilance officials estimated that Behera’s total disproportionate assets amounted to 205% more than his legitimate income after considering all declared earnings and expenditures.
A senior vigilance official noted the gravity of the situation: “A thorough investigation is required to understand how such significant salary manipulation went unnoticed despite multiple levels of treasury checks, audits, and oversight by drawing and disbursing officers"
