Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Monday apprehended Shaikh Rayaz Alli, Headmaster of a government upper primary school under Balipatna block in Khordha district, while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹15,000.
According to Vigilance sources, the accused had demanded the illegal gratification from the school’s former headmaster to release funds under the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme. The predecessor had incurred expenditure for four months and was relieved from duty before the allotment and drawal of the funds. He had requested Alli to issue a cheque for the reimbursement as per government guidelines. Instead, Alli allegedly sought ₹15,000 as a bribe to process the payment.
Aggrieved by the demand, the former headmaster approached the Vigilance authorities. A trap was laid, and Alli was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe. The entire tainted amount of ₹15,000 was recovered from his possession and seized.
Following the trap, Vigilance teams simultaneously conducted searches at two locations linked to Alli as part of a disproportionate assets probe. A case has been registered against him under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and further investigation is underway.