Vigilance arrests Dy Director of Mines Debabrata Mohanty

Bhubaneswar: Deputy Director of Mines Department Debabrata Mohanty has been arrested by the Vigilance Department in a trap case involving a Rs. 30,000 bribe from a coal vendor.

During a subsequent searches on charges of accumulating assets beyond his known income, Rs. 4 crore 27 lakh in cash was found, marking the highest cash seizure in Odisha’s history.

Debabrata Mohanty joined government service on 09.08.2004 as a Junior Mining Officer (Sr. Surveyor) in the Mining Office, Balangir, with an initial salary of Rs. 8,000. He subsequently worked in the same rank at Baripada (2006-2008), Berhampur (2009-2011), Cuttack (2011-2014), and at the state headquarters in Bhubaneswar (2014-2018).

Mohanty was promoted to Assistant Mining Officer (Chief Surveyor) in March 2018 and joined Sambalpur. He served as Mining Officer at Phulbani from April 2022 to December 2025, covering Phulbani, Boudh, and Nayagarh areas. On 07.01.2026, he joined as Deputy Director of Mines, Cuttack Circle, Cuttack, where he has been serving, overseeing Cuttack and Kendrapara districts.