Odisha Additional Tehsildar sent to jail in Rs 9K bribery case

Chhendipada Additional Tehsildar Prakash Chandra Nayak was sent to judicial custody on Thursday after being arrested by the Vigilance Department for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 9,000. Along with Nayak, a peon identified as Kahnu Swain was also arrested in connection with the case and remanded to jail.

According to official sources, Vigilance officials caught Nayak and Swain red-handed on Wednesday while they were allegedly accepting the bribe from a complainant. The money was reportedly demanded in exchange for processing a mutation case, prompting the complainant to approach the Vigilance Department.

Acting on the complaint, a trap was laid by Vigilance officials, following which both the Additional Tehsildar and the peon were apprehended while accepting the bribe amount. Subsequent to the arrests, Vigilance teams conducted searches at the residence of Prakash Chandra Nayak as part of the investigation.

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During the house search, officials seized cash amounting to Rs 3 lakh. Sources said Nayak failed to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the source of the seized cash, raising further suspicion. Vigilance officials have initiated a detailed probe to ascertain whether the money was accumulated through illegal means.

“The Additional Tehsildar demanded Rs 9,000 for processing the work. Following a report about the incident, Vigilance officials caught him red-handed. Cash over Rs 3 lakh was recovered during his house search. Further investigation into the incident is on and more details could be divulged after receiving the report,” said Vigilance SP K Venugopal Acharya.