Suspended PEO Arrested for ₹3.26 Crore Cricket Betting Scam

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance on Saturday arrested a Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO) on charges of misappropriating ₹3.26 crore of government funds to bet on cricket matches.

The accused, Debananda Sagar, was formerly the PEO of Podapadar and Talnegi Gram Panchayats under Thuamul-Rampur Block in Kalahandi district. Currently under suspension, he was arrested for allegedly embezzling funds meant for rural development and transferring them to his personal account for online betting.

Investigations revealed that Sagar siphoned off ₹1,71,86,342 from Talnegi Gram Panchayat and ₹1,55,00,758 from Podapadar Gram Panchayat. He allegedly forged the Sarpanch’s signature on cheques and conducted illegal transactions through the Public Finance Management System (PFMS), diverting the funds to his personal account at SBI, Dharamgarh Bazar Branch, Kalahandi district.

Sagar was posted as PEO of Talnegi GP on July 4, 2016, and later held additional charge of Podapadar GP. Between May 5, 2018, and March 17, 2022, he reportedly used government funds for online betting through FairPlay, an illegal betting platform.

This is not the first allegation against Sagar. In 2023, Vigilance booked him for embezzling ₹1.04 crore while serving as PEO in Badachhatrang, Birikot, and Pahadpadar GPs under Lanjigarh Block, Kalahandi. Following the allegations, he was suspended from service.

Further investigation by the Vigilance department uncovered additional misappropriation, leading to fresh cases being registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988, as amended by the PC (Amendment) Act, 2018.

Authorities are now conducting further inquiries to trace the full extent of the financial irregularities committed by the accused.