Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Thursday apprehended Assistant Fisheries Officer (AFO) of Biramaharajpur in Sonepur district, Bibhuti Bhusan Pradhan, and his aide, Babulal Barik, for allegedly demanding and accepting Rs 30,000 as bribe.
The AFO had demanded the illegal gratification from a Women Self Help Group (WSHG) to release the second-phase subsidy under the ‘Carp Grow-out in GP tank by WSHG’ scheme.
According to a Vigilance release, Pradhan had initially demanded Rs 45,000 to release the subsidy amount. When the complainant expressed her inability to pay the huge bribe amount, he reduced it to Rs 30,000. She then reported the matter to Vigilance authorities, following which a trap was laid and Pradhan was nabbed after accepting the bribe money through Barik. The entire bribe money was recovered from their possession and seized.
Both the accused persons have been detained at Sonepur fisheries office for further interrogation.
The Vigilance sleuths also seized Rs 3.58 lakh from rented residential house of Pradhan at Sonepur during subsequent simultaneous searches at two locations, and another Rs 48,610 while frisking Barik.
A case has also been registered against them under Sections 7/12 of PC (Amendment) Act, 2018, and further investigation is underway, it added.