Cuttack: On charges of demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹30,000 from a licensed coal vendor, Odisha Vigilance officials have apprehended Debabrata Mohanty, Deputy Director of Mines, Cuttack Circle.

According to Vigilance sources, Mohanty allegedly demanded the bribe to allow the smooth operation of the vendor’s coal depot and to grant permission for coal transportation.

Officials recovered the entire bribe amount from Mohanty’s possession and seized it as evidence.

Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being conducted at three locations linked to Mohanty to investigate possible disproportionate assets.

In this connection, Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station Case No. 01 dated February 23, 2026, has been registered against Mohanty under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.