MCL Official Caught Red-Handed by CBI While Taking Bribe in Odisha

Bhubaneswar:  A senior official of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) was caught red-handed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while accepting a bribe in Odisha’s Jhupurunga-Tumulia mining project.

The accused, Akhilesh Kumar Verma, who serves as Chief Manager and head of the disbursement cell at the project, was allegedly caught while accepting a bribe of ₹20,000 from a complainant late on Wednesday night.

According to sources, Verma had initially demanded a total of ₹40,000 to release compensation funds sanctioned for a person displaced by the mining operations. He had previously taken ₹10,000, and was apprehended during the second installment of the bribe.

Following his arrest, CBI officials raided his office premises and subsequently brought him to Bhubaneswar for further interrogation and legal proceedings.

The arrest has raised concerns over corruption in rehabilitation and compensation processes within large-scale public sector undertakings like MCL. The CBI has confirmed that the case is under active investigation and further action will follow based on the findings.