Odisha Municipality staff caught taking Rs 10,000 bribe by Odisha Vigilance
In a swift action, Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Friday apprehended two officials of Jaleswar Municipality while they were allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a local contractor in exchange for clearing his pending bill.
The accused have been identified as Braja Gopal Ghose Mohapatra, Dealing Assistant (Sanitation-cum-MIS Coordinator), and Ratikanta Patra, Sanitation Expert, both serving under Jaleswar Municipality in Balasore district.
According to official sources, the complainant, a contractor who had executed works under the IEC activity in Jaleswar Municipality, had been repeatedly requesting clearance of his pending bill for over one and a half months. However, the officials allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 to process and release the payment.
Finding no other option, the contractor reported the matter to Odisha Vigilance, which subsequently laid a trap. The vigilance team caught both officials red-handed while accepting the bribe amount from the complainant. The entire sum of Rs 10,000 was recovered and seized from their possession.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being conducted at two locations linked to the accused Braja Gopal Ghose Mohapatra from a disproportionate assets angle.
A case has been registered under Balasore Vigilance PS Case No. 15/2025 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
The investigation is currently underway against the accused duo.
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