JE Held Over Rs 14K Bribe Demand In Odisha’s Balangir

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Friday apprehended junior engineer (JE) of Belapada block in Balangir, Harekrushna Sahoo, while allegedly accepting Rs 7,000 bribe.

The trap was laid on the basis of a complaint received on toll-free No 1064 of Odisha Vigilance. He was nabbed while accepting the final instalment of the total Rs 14,000 he had demanded from a beneficiary to return the case record for preparation of muster roll for payment of wages to job card holders engaged in the construction work of a dugwell under ‘Open Well Irrigation Scheme’.

The JE had received Rs 700 from the beneficiary a few days back. “However, as per overall demand of bribe , Sahoo was demanding the rest amount of bribe to facilitate the process,” a Vigilance release said.

The entire tainted bribe money was recovered from his possession and seized. Simultaneous searches are currently on at three places linked to Sahoo to ascertain whether he has accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

A case has also been registered against him under Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption (amendment) Act, 2018, and further investigation is underway, it added.