Vigilance arrests Lift Irrigation Dy Executive Engineer on bribery charges

Odisha vigilance on Friday caught a Deputy Executive Engineer (DEE) of Lift Irrigation Department in Angul while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000.

The accused engineer, Sarat Kumar Pradhan was nabbed by the vigilance after one Shrikant Dehury, a contractor from Khilari village in the district landed at the vigilance office with a complaint that Pradhan was demanding bribe to pass the electrical estimate of two lift irrigation projects.

“Based on the above complaint, a trap was laid on August 11, where Pradhan was caught by the team of Odisha Vigilance in his office room while demanding and accepting undue advantage (bribe) of Rs 50,000 from the complainant,” read a vigilance press release.

The entire bribe money of Rs 50,000 was recovered from the possession of Pradhan.

As per the vigilance release, “Right hand wash of Pradhan returned positive chemical reaction, confirming acceptance and handling of bribe money by him. Following the trap, simultaneous searches have been launched on the residential house of Pradhan at village Remuan, under Talcher police limits in the district and his office room.”

Pradhan was later arrested and will be forwarded to court.

In this connection, Cuttack Vigilance PS Case No.27 dated 11.08.2023 U/s 7 Prevention of Corruption Amendment Act, 2018 has been registered and is under investigation.