New Delhi: Odisha Vigilance, Sunday evening, caught a sub-collector rank officer in the state’s Kalahandi district while accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh. Officials recovered Rs 47 lakh in subsequent searches carried out at his government quarters and office Sunday night.
The officer, identified as Dhiman Chakma, is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 2021 batch of Odisha cadre. A resident of Tripura and an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology, Agartala, Chakma was serving as sub-collector in the Dharamgarh block. It was his first posting as an IAS officer since January 2024.
In a statement Monday, Odisha Vigilance said they laid a trap Sunday night and that Chakma was arrested after he received Rs 10 lakh as the first instalment of a total of Rs 20 lakh in bribe.
Chakma had demanded bribes from a local businessman by threatening to take action against him, the vigilance department said. “Left with no other option, the complainant reported the matter to vigilance authorities,” the statement said. Based on the complaint, the department registered a case on 3 June under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, that deals with offences relating to public servants being bribed.
After verifying the contents of the complaint, the vigilance team laid the trap to catch Chakma red-handed. He was arrested from his residential quarters at Dharamgarh.
This incident has drawn widespread attention on social media, with people condemning corruption in bureaucracy.
Today, Sri Dhiman Chakma, IAS (2021 batch), Sub-Collector, Dharamgarh, #Kalahandi, has been nabbed while taking bribe Rs. 10 Lakh from a businessman, threatening to act against his business otherwise. Further, Rs 47 lakh cash recovered during search at his govt. residence. pic.twitter.com/aIOuPdSq0d
— Odisha Vigilance (@OdishaVigilance) June 8, 2025
In the statement, the vigilance department further said, “Both hands wash of Sri Chakma gave a positive chemical reaction, confirming acceptance and handling of bribe money by him. Following the trap, simultaneous searches were conducted on the residential Govt. quarter of Sri Chakma, IAS at Dharamgarh and his office chamber.”
“During search, cash Rs.47 Lakhs were unearthed from his residential Govt. quarter at Dharamgarh. As he could not give any satisfactory explanation regarding such huge cash, the same was seized.”
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Chakmas are infamous in the state of Tripura. They are known to be very unscrupulous and frequently engage in illegal activities.