Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance sleuths apprehended two employees of the Block Education Office (BEO) at Rengali in Sambalpur district for allegedly accepting a bribe from a colleague.
The accused, identified as junior assistant Dusmanta Kumar Sahu and peon Gopabandhu Sahu, were caught red-handed while and accepting Rs 7,000 as the first instalment of an overall Rs 25,000 bribe demand.
Vigilance said in a statement that the bribe was sought for processing the complainant’s salary and arrears. Dusmanta Kumar Sahu allegedly demanded Rs 7,000 to initiate the pay process and an additional Rs 18,000 for arrears clearance. The complainant informed Vigilance authorities, leading to the trap operation.
The Rs 7,000 bribe amount was recovered from the accused and seized as evidence. Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were launched at three premises linked to Dusmanta Sahu and one associated with Gopabandhu Sahu to investigate disproportionate assets.
A case has been registered under Vigilance PS Case No. 18/2025, U/s 7/12 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. The investigation is ongoing, and further details are awaited.