Forest officer arrested in Bargarh

Bargarh: Anti-corruption sleuths on Wednesday arrested an Orissa Forest Service (OFS) cadre officer on a charge of demanding illegal gratification from a businessman, official sources said.

Divisional Forest Officer (territorial), Bargarh, Samir Kumar Satapathy was caught by vigilance officials while he was allegedly accepting Rs 15,000 from a businessman to release his auto-rickshaw.

The forest department had earlier seized the auto-rickshaw in connection with a case and had kept it in the office of the DFO.

In the course of the investigation, a trap was laid by vigilance officers who caught Satapathy red-handed at his residential quarter located in the office premises.

The bribe money was seized from the DFO`s person in the presence of witnesses. His hand and trouser pocket wash gave a positive chemical reaction confirming the acceptance of the bribe, an official said.