Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Monday apprehended a Special Land Acquisition Officer of the Sambalpur-Talcher Doubling Rail Line Project for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs five lakh.
According to Vigilance, accused Ajay Kumar Garanaik had demanded Rs 5.10 lakh from a land owner (complainant) in lieu of releasing Rs 84,62,288 towards compensation amount for land acquisition and to show favour in future during the third rail line project.
He had already taken Rs 2 lakh on October 27 and was demanding the remaining Rs 3.10 lakh. He also allegedly threatened the complainant that if the remaining bribe money was not paid, he would create problems during future land acquisition for the third railway line project.
Finding no other option, the complainant reported the matter to Vigilance authorities.
Acting on the complaint, a team of Vigilance laid a trap and caught Garanaik red-handed while accepting the balance bribe amount of Rs 3,10,000 from the complainant. The tainted bribe money of Rs 3,10,000 has been recovered from his possession and seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches are underway at three locations linked to Garanaik from a Disproportionate Assets (DA) angle.
In this connection, a case under Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 has been registered and investigation is in progress.