Vigilance searches properties in Tripura, HP linked to arrested IAS officer's kin

Bhubaneswar: Days after arresting IAS officer Dhiman Chakma on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a stone miner in Kalahandi district, the state vigilance directorate on Wednesday conducted simultaneous searches at properties linked to his family and relatives in Tripura and Himachal Pradesh.
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Three teams carried out verification and searches at the residence of Chakma at Kanchanpur in North Tripura and houses of his in-laws at Saminala in Kullu district and Rangbey in Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal.
"Relevant documents related to deposits and investments in banks and other financial instruments among others were collected and scrutinised during the house search. Details of other movable and immovable assets are being ascertained from disproportionate assets (DA) angle," an official vigilance statement read.
Chakma, a 2021-batch IAS officer, on his first posting as sub-collector in Dharamgarh, was arrested on June 8 at his official residence in Kalahandi, while allegedly receiving Rs 10 lakh — the initial instalment of a Rs 20 lakh demand — from Harsha Bardhan Behera, who owns a stone crusher unit. Subsequent searches at his quarters led to the discovery of Rs 47 lakh in cash.
"We are trying to find out the sources through which he accumulated the huge ill-gotten cash.
If anyone paid him bribes previously, they should help us gather more evidence against him. His official decisions taken in the past are under scrutiny," a vigilance officer said.
Following his suspension on June 10, Chakma remains in judicial custody. The interstate investigation of his assets occurred after the vigilance court in Bhawanipatna rejected his bail application on Tuesday.
Sources said Chakma solicited the bribe to safeguard Behera's stone mining operations. In Aug 2024, the mines department had levied a Rs 1.6 crore penalty on Behera for excessive stone mining. Chakma purportedly demanded Rs 20 lakh to reduce or eliminate the fine.

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