Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Thursday apprehended an Assistant Drugs Controller in Jajpur for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 6,000 for facilitating issuance of a wholesale medicine licence.
The accused has been identified as Sanjay Kumar Hansdah, Assistant Drugs Controller / Drug Inspector, Jajpur, with additional charge of Jagatsinghpur district.
Vigilance said in a statement that Hansdah was nabbed at Jaipur Chhak on Paradeep-Cuttack NH-53 roadside while demanding and taking bribe from an applicant for recommending his application to the office of Drugs Controller, Bhubaneswar for issuance of wholesale medicine licence.
The complainant had applied on May 11, 2025 for a drug licence for his wholesale medicine store. He met Hansdah several times, but the officer did not process the application and instead demanded Rs 6,000 as bribe. After being harassed, the complainant reported the matter to Vigilance authorities.
On Wednesday, when the complainant went to his office, Hansdah was not present. On being contacted over phone, the accused asked him to reach Jaipur Chhak. When the complainant reached the spot, Hansdah asked him to sit inside his Wagon R car bearing number OD 2L 3325 where he accepted the bribe amount.
The Vigilance team then nabbed him and recovered the entire bribe money of Rs 6,000 from his exclusive possession.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches have been launched at the office and residential locations of Hansdah from disproportionate assets angle.
During ongoing searches, Vigilance sleuths unearthed and seized further cash of Rs 1,25,200/- from his office at Jagatsinghpur and Rs 53,500/-from his possession (both unaccounted). So far, the total seizure of cash stands at Rs 1,78,700/-. Searches are continuing and further report follows.
In this connection, a case was registered under Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 and investigation is in progress.