Odisha Vigilance has held two auditors from the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development department after discovering they demanded a bribe of ₹10 per student in government‑run residential schools. The officials were seized with a total of ₹14,38,340 in cash, comprising envelopes and loose bundles, during a late‑night interception.
The auditors were intercepted on September 10, 2026, while traveling from the District Welfare Officer’s office in Baripada to a hotel after completing audit work. The Vigilance team found ₹5,51,510 in 52 envelopes and 20 loose bundles of suspected ill‑gained money. A subsequent search of their hotel rooms uncovered an additional ₹8,86,830, bringing the total seized cash to ₹14,38,340.
According to officials, the auditors had been in Baripada since August 30, 2026, to audit the DWO office and then the hostels of residential schools. They had instructed headmasters and in‑charges to report to Baripada, the district headquarters of Mayurbhanj, along with school and hostel files and registers.
Vigilance authorities received allegations that the auditors demanded the ₹10 per enrolled student bribe to facilitate a smooth audit. After confirming the claims, the auditors were intercepted.
The case has now been classified as a disproportionate assets case, and raids have been conducted at their residential and office addresses to identify properties acquired through the alleged bribes.
