Odisha assistant commissioner of state tax caught taking Rs 25,000 bribe in Bhubaneswar

Odisha Vigilance on Tuesday apprehended Sarita Barik, OFS-I, Assistant Commissioner of State Tax, Bhubaneswar-IV Circle while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a bakery shop owner.

According to Vigilance officials, Barik had issued a show-cause notice to the complainant’s food products firm, demanding payment of Rs 2,27,147 towards reversal of Input Tax Credit (ITC) for the financial year 2020-21. When the complainant approached her for reconsideration, Barik allegedly demanded Rs 25,000 to exempt the fine and penalty.

Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap and caught Barik red-handed while accepting the bribe inside her car in front of a coaching institute at Madhusudan Nagar, Bhubaneswar. The entire bribe money was recovered from her possession.

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Following the trap, simultaneous searches were launched at three locations linked to the accused officer to probe for disproportionate assets.

A case has been registered at Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Officials confirmed that the investigation is underway.