Puri: Vigilance sleuths arrested a data entry operator and a primary school teacher for taking bribe to release scholarship amount to a student suffering from thalassemia in Odisha’s Puri district.
On a complaint filed by the student’s father that Dhirendra Senapati, Data Entry Operator, Ramsa Section, office of District Education Officer (DEO), Puri and Prahallad Pradhan, primary teacher, Khanda Bazar, Brahmagiri, Puri were demanding a bribe of Rs 2,ooo to release the scholarship amount in favour of his son, the Vigilance laid a trap.
As per the plan, the complainant went to pay the bribe money to Senapati and Pradhan. While the two officials were accepting the money, the Vigilance officials caught them red-handed and recovered the bribe money from them.
The Class X student, who is a thalassemia patient, takes blood every fortnight. Despite his ailments, he was getting scholarship from Class IX under National Means cum Merit Scholarship (NMMS) scheme.
Following the trap, Vigilance launched simultaneous searches on the residential house of Senapati at Chuadanga
Sahi in Puri town and his office room. Both the accused persons were arrested and will be forwarded to the court.
Bhubaneswar Vigilance has filed a case under PC Amendment Act, 2018 in this connection and investigation is on.
