Keonjhar, Odisha : The Odisha Vigilance on Wednesday apprehended Hadibandhu Behera, Assistant Record Keeper (ARK) at the Office of the Settlement Officer, Keonjhar, while accepting a bribe of ₹3,000 from a complainant.
According to sources, Behera had demanded the bribe in exchange for providing a certified copy of the khatian and amin report related to a disputed ancestral land. The complainant, a poor farmer, had applied for the documents on July 4, 2025, and had been repeatedly requesting Behera to furnish the same. However, the accused allegedly refused to process the request unless the bribe was paid.
With no alternative left, the complainant approached the Odisha Vigilance authorities, narrating the harassment he was facing. Acting swiftly, the Vigilance team laid a trap and caught Behera red-handed inside his office while receiving ₹3,000 from the complainant.
The entire bribe amount was recovered from Behera’s possession and has been seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being conducted at two locations linked to the accused to ascertain any disproportionate assets (DA).
A case has been registered under Balasore Vigilance P.S. Case No. 08/2025, U/s 7 of the PC (Amendment) Act, 2018, and an investigation is currently underway.
