Bhubaneswar: An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of police posted at Rajkanika in Kendrapada district was arrested by Odisha Vigilance while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 from a man in connection with a land dispute case.
Vigilance said ASI Prasanta Pradhan was caught red-handed near the old Rajkanika police station building on Monday shortly after he received the bribe amount for allegedly furnishing a favourable enquiry report in a case pending before a competent court.
Officials said the complainant had a joint ownership over a parcel of land with another party. However, the latter had reportedly begun construction on the disputed property without the complainant’s consent. Following this, the complainant approached the court seeking intervention to halt the construction.
Acting on the court’s directive, the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Rajkanika Police Station was instructed to submit an enquiry report within three days. The responsibility of conducting the enquiry was assigned to ASI Pradhan.
When the complainant approached Pradhan for submission of the report, the ASI allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 2,000 to submit a favourable report. Aggrieved by the demand, the complainant reported the matter to Vigilance authorities.
Based on the complaint, a trap was laid, and the accused was apprehended while accepting the bribe. The entire tainted amount was recovered from his possession and seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches were conducted at two locations linked to the accused to ascertain any disproportionate assets. The ASI, who was subsequently placed under arrest, was being forwarded to court.
In this connection, a case has been registered at the Vigilance Police Station in Cuttack under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is underway.
