Deputy Collector arrested for taking Rs 50k bribe in Odisha

Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Wednesday arrested Sarat Kumar Giri, the Deputy Collector of Keonjhar district, presently working in the land acquisition section, on allegations of bribery.

According to sources, Giri was caught in the act of accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from complainant Chitrasena Brahma for facilitating a land settlement case.

Also Read: Vigilance raids properties of Kamakhyanagar Sub Collector in DA case

“The team had laid a trap and accordingly the Deputy Collector was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 50,000. He was subsequently arrested,” a Vigilance official of the raid team expressed.

The anti-corruption agency recovered the entire bribe money from the possession of Deputy Collector Giri and later seized it.

Following this arrest, vigilance teams have launched simultaneous raids at multiple locations linked to the Deputy Collector as part of the ongoing investigation, which is underway.

“Searches are going on at three locations associated with the Deputy Collector following his arrest. Giri is suspected to have accumulated assets disproportionate to his legal sources of income. He was receiving the bribe money for disbursing a compensation amount Brahma’s land acquired for National Highway expansion,” the Vigilance official added.

Must Read: Odisha Vigilance nets ex-superintendent of Jharpada Jail in Bhubaneswar, raids on at 7 places

Earlier in another similar incident, Vigilance sleuths had conducted simultaneous raids on November 18, 2024, at 10 places associated with Narayan Chandra Nayak, Sub-Collector of Kamakhyanagar on charges of amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Separate teams of the anti-corruption agency had conducted simultaneous raids on the properties of Nayak including his office and government quarters.