Odisha Vigilance nabs medical officer while accepting Rs 49,000 bribe

In a major anti-corruption operation, Odisha Vigilance on Friday apprehended a Medical Officer of the Community Health Centre (CHC), Kaniha in Angul district, while allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 49,000.

The accused has been identified as Dr Sumanta Kumar Patel, Medical Officer, CHC Kaniha.

According to Vigilance sources, Dr Patel was caught red-handed inside the CHC campus while taking the bribe in lieu of sanctioning incentive payments in favour of Community Health Officers (CHOs).

The entire tainted amount of Rs 49,000 was recovered from Dr Patel’s possession and seized on the spot in the presence of witnesses.
Following the trap, Vigilance teams launched simultaneous searches at three locations linked to the accused from the disproportionate assets (DA) angle. Further details of the searches are awaited.

In this connection, a case has been registered against Dr Patel at Cuttack Vigilance Police Station. The case has been registered as Vigilance PS Case No. 02 dated January 15, 2026, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

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Investigation into the matter is currently in progress. Vigilance officials stated that a detailed report would follow after completion of the ongoing searches and examination of records.