Bhubaneswar: Vigilance sleuths arrested five forest department employees on Tuesday on charges of embezzling govt funds to the tune of Rs 80 lakh in a failed compensatory afforestation projectin Kalahandi district.The vigilance department’s investigation revealed that the accused had meticulously fabricated documents showing extensive plantation activities that never actually took place.The accused were identified as deputy ranger (in-charge) Sairendri Bag, foresters Umesh Rout and Debraj Sunani, and forest guards Ashok Kumar Sahu and Lalit Naik, all from Jaipatna range of Kalahandi South forest division.The scam came to light when a routine audit noticed discrepancies between the reported plantation numbers and those actually planted.“Following reliable information from a source about substantial fund misappropriation under the compensatory afforestation fund management scheme in 2023-24, we initiated an investigation. A detailed assessment of five plantation sites revealed significant discrepancies in plantation numbers and the actual ground reality, leading to financial irregularities during that fiscal year,” a senior vigilance officer said.Investigation revealed that plantation funds were channelled into several false labour accounts and quickly withdrawn. “The accused created dummy accounts and submitted fake documents regarding the plantation scheme implementation and labour payments. They managed these accounts personally, offering minimal commission to the unsuspecting poor and illiterate labourers,” the vigilance officer said.The anti-corruption agency said their investigation is in progress to uncover the entire network. Suspected involvement of some senior forest officers is being investigated, it said.On Feb 28, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) began investigating money laundering aspects of the case. Their inquiry exposed the creation of fraudulent bank accounts to misappropriate CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) funds during 2023-24.The accused officials used 121 mule accounts to divert funds. These accounts, opened in labourers’ names, received funds via NEFT from the range office, followed by immediate ATM withdrawals. Officials had discovered multiple accounts registered under identical mobile numbers.Forest department is awaiting thevigilance investigation results. “We are aware of the vigilance crackdown. Our own internal investigation is also underway. The erring staff will face suspension,” a forest official said.