Tripura’s IAS Officer who Posted in Odisha Arrested in Kalahandi Bribery Case

Odisha Vigilance officials arrested 36-year-old IAS officer Dhiman Chakma (2021 batch, originally from Tripura) on Sunday, June 8, 2025, while accepting a ₹10 lakh bribe from a local businessman in Bhubaneswar. The businessman claimed he was being coerced under threat of false environmental action against his crusher unit.

Following the sting operation, a raid was conducted on Chakma’s official residence in Dharamgarh, Kalahandi. During this search, vigilance teams uncovered ₹47 lakh in unaccounted cash—bringing the total illicit funds directly linked to the case to ₹57 lakh. The amounts recovered include the ₹10 lakh taken at the sting and the ₹47 lakh found in his quarters. Investigators also noted that Chakma allegedly demanded a total of ₹20 lakh, of which only half had been paid so far.

Chakma, who had pledged on clearing the UPSC exam to “serve the poor, uplift the backward, and work for the Northeast,” now finds himself facing charges under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case is currently under investigation, and a court hearing has been scheduled for Monday, June 10, 2025, to take further action.