Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Friday apprehended a Junior Revenue Assistant (JRA) of the office of Jajpur Sub-Collector for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 40,000 to facilitate permission for purchase of land belonging to a Scheduled Caste owner.
The JRA, identified as Prasanna Kumar Sahani, was caught in his office room while demanding and accepting the bribe from an applicant for land purchase. The entire tainted money of Rs 40,000 has been recovered from his exclusive possession and seized.
As per law, permission from the competent authority is required to purchase land from SC/ST category persons. The complainant had applied on November 29, 2025, in the office of Sub-Collector, Jajpur, for permission to purchase a 16-decimal plot in favour of his mother. However, Sahani was allegedly delaying the process without any valid reason. Despite repeated requests, he initially demanded Rs 48,000 at the rate of Rs 3,000 per decimal. When the applicant expressed his inability to pay, he reduced the amount to Rs 40,000.
Unable to meet the bribe demand and aggrieved by harassment, the applicant reported the matter to Vigilance. Following the trap, simultaneous searches are underway at two locations linked to Sahani from a disproportionate assets angle.
In this connection, Cuttack Vigilance PS Case No. 37/2026 under Section 7 of the PC (Amendment) Act, 2018 has been registered against the accused. Investigation is underway.