Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Wednesday seized Rs 8.37 lakh and gold jewellery weighing 390 grams during raids on deputy ranger of Bisra under Rourkela forest division, Asit Pattanayak.
This came a day after he was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 18,000 from a person, whose vehicle was engaged for official use in the Forest department on a hiring basis.
The vehicle owner had lodged a complaint, stating that Pattanayak was demanding Rs 18,000 bribe to release his dues for the month of April and allow him to continue his services in May.
The deputy ranger was caught taking the bribe at his office-cum-residence in Bisra block at around 3.45 pm. Subsequently, his office-cum-residence at Bisra, rented house at Basanti Colony in Rourkela, a flat in Bhubaneswar and his paternal house in Mayurbhanj district were simultaneously searched to determine his disproportionate assets.
