The Odisha Vigilance apprehended an Additional Tahasildar in Belaguntha, Ganjam district, for accepting a bribe from a businessman. The accused, Kabiraj Sethi, had detained a sand-laden tractor without proper documentation and demanded a bribe of Rs 40,000 for its release.
Sethi, the Addl. Tahasildar, allegedly coerced the tractor owner, involved in minor mineral trade, to pay the bribe. Despite the owner providing necessary documents, Sethi insisted on the illicit payment. The Vigilance team intervened when Sethi collected Rs 30,000 as tax/cess and an additional Rs 10,000 as a bribe.
Acting on a complaint, the Vigilance officials caught Sethi red-handed in his office while accepting the illegal gratification. They recovered the entire bribe amount from him in the presence of witnesses. Subsequent searches were conducted at Sethi’s official and residential premises in Belaguntha and Nachuni, leading to his arrest.
In a separate incident, the anti-corruption unit also detained Subrat Kumar Behera, a Junior Assistant at the CDMO office in Angul, for amassing assets disproportionate to his known income sources. Behera allegedly misappropriated funds by drawing excess salary amounts, leading to a 205% increase in his assets beyond legitimate earnings.
