Bhubaneswar: After the arrest of Paradip Port Public Health Officer Dr Rajendra Narayan Panigrahi by the CBI on graft charges, new reports about his alleged involvement in corrupt practices are coming to the fore.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has unearthed properties worth crores of rupees during raids on the premises of graft-tainted Panigrahi, who was caught red-handed while allegedly taking bribe of Rs 54,000 from a shipping agent on Thursday to issue some medical clearances.
While Panigrahi is now under judicial custody, a video of the tainted doctor taking bribe has gone viral. The health officer is reportedly heard asking about the nationality of the captain of the ship.
The doctor is also heard enquiring about the availability of a particular brand of costly foreign liquor. He is also reportedly seeking to know whether particular brands of cigarettes are available with the ship.
Similarly, an audio clip relating to the episode has surfaced in social media. The doctor is reportedly heard demanding bribe from shipping agent for issuing a clearance certificate.
Panigrahi can be heard striking a deal with a shipping agent over the telephone. He asked the agent to confirm from the ship captain if a particular brand of liquor is available. If it is not available, he is asking the agent to provide him some dollars.
According to sources, several shipping agents have fallen victim to such designs of the doctor. As per the allegations by the agents, the doctor used to delay the work to extract money, costly gifts, imported liquors, and cigarettes from the shipping agents, crew, and others who came for work.
It was alleged that the doctor would not work without any bribe in the form of costly gifts and cash in return for providing COVID-19 clearance to the crew members and shipping agents.
After apprehending Panigrahi while he was accepting Rs 54,000 from the agent of Eminence Shipping Agency, the CBI carried out raids on several locations linked to the doctor and unearthed huge moveable and immovable property at Praradip, Balasore, Cuttack, and Hyderabad. Cash to the tune of Rs 17 lakh, US Dollars worth over Rs 17 lakh, imported liquor and cigarettes, hard disks, and costly gifts have been seized from his official residence.
Meanwhile, sources said that a close associate of the arrested health officer are likely to be brought under the purview of investigation by the CBI as he reportedly played a key role in finalising deals with agents of different ships. The investigating agency is likely to probe the role of some other associates of the doctor also, they added.
