Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Saturday apprehended Prithviraj Kamila, Clerk-cum-Cashier at the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Office, Rukura Irrigation Project at Bonai in Sundargarh district for allegedly taking bribe.
A Vigilance statement said Kamila was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 7,000 from a tribal land loser.
The land loser had been requesting Kamila to process his file for the release of land acquisition money amounting to Rs 2.07 lakhs for the past six months. Kamila initially demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000, out of which the land loser had already paid Rs 10,000. Despite receiving the partial payment, Kamila continued to demand the balance amount. When the land loser expressed his inability to pay, Kamila reduced the bribe amount to Rs 7,000.
The land loser was left with no option but to approach the Vigilance authorities, leading to a trap and Kamila’s arrest. The entire bribe amount of Rs 7,000 has been recovered from Kamila’s possession and seized.
Searches are being conducted at four locations linked to Kamila to investigate potential disproportionate assets.
A case has been registered against Kamila under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and investigation is in progress.
