Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Monday apprehended two revenue officials of Pipili Tehsil in Puri district for allegedly tsking Rs 35,000 bribe in a mutation case for conversion of land category.
The accused were identified as Kalyani Jena, Revenue Inspector and Purna Chandra Behera, ARI, both of Siula RI Circle under Pipili Tehsil.
The two were caught while taking a bribe from an applicant for processing and forwarding the enquiry report in a mutation case for conversion of his land. The applicant had applied as per rules for conversion of agricultural land to homestead land.
When the applicant enquired about the status of the case in the RI office, both accused demanded bribe of Rs 35,000 to initiate the mutation case for conversion of land. Despite repeated requests by the applicant, the accused duo insisted on taking the demanded bribe.
After failing to meet the demanded bribe, the applicant approached the vigilance authorities. Based on the complaint, a team of Vigilance nabbed both the accused while taking bribe of Rs 35,000 from the complainant. The entire tainted bribe money has been recovered from them and seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being conducted at their office and houses at Vill- Bramhakumdi (Charichhak), Achyutapur (Chandanpur) and Rasulgarh, Bhubaneswar from the Disproportionate Assets angle. A case has been registered and investigation is underway.