Odisha additional tehsildar nabbed by Vigilance for accepting Rs 10,000 bribe to release sand-laden tractor

OdishaVigilance on Thursday apprehended Kabiraj Sethi, Additional Tehsildar, Belaguntha in Ganjam district, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe to release a sand-laden tractor.

According to Vigilance officials, the accused officer had detained the tractor on February 5, 2026 without officially recording the seizure. Despite the tractor owner submitting supporting documents, the Additional Tehsildar allegedly demanded a bribe for its release.

Bribe Allegedly Taken Along With Fine

On February 12, when the complainant approached the Additional Tehsildar, he reportedly collected Rs 30,000 towards tax/cess as fine and additionally demanded  a bribe of Rs 10,000 for releasing the vehicle.

Acting on the complaint, a team of Odisha Vigilance laid a trap and apprehended Sethi while he was accepting the bribe. The entire tainted amount of Rs 10,000 was recovered and seized from his possession.

Officials stated that the veracity of the challans is being verified due to missing details and discrepancies between the customer and office copies.

Searches Underway 

Following the trap, simultaneous searches were conducted at two locations linked to Sethi from a disproportionate assets (DA) angle.

Also Read: Odisha clerk draws higher salary than IAS officers! Lands in Vigilance net

In this connection, Berhampur Vigilance P.S. Case was registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

Further investigation was underway at the time of reporting.