Odisha Engineer Held Taking Rs 2 Lakh Bribe a Week Before Retirement
Vigilance officials trap Rayagada rural development executive engineer while allegedly accepting a bribe for clearing a contractor's pending bill.
In a major anti-corruption operation, the Odisha Vigilance Department arrested a rural development executive engineer in Rayagada district for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a contractor, just a week before his retirement.
The accused, Prasanna Pattnaik, was caught in a planned trap operation on Tuesday while allegedly accepting the bribe amount for clearing a contractor's pending bill. Official records show that Pattnaik is scheduled to retire from government service on June 30.
According to Vigilance officials, the operation was launched following a complaint from a local contractor who alleged that the engineer had demanded illegal gratification for processing and clearing bills.
Acting on the complaint, Vigilance personnel laid a trap and allegedly caught Pattnaik red-handed while accepting the money.
Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were conducted at four locations linked to the accused to ascertain whether he had accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The raids covered his office and residence in Rayagada, his native place in Nayagarh district and two properties in Bhubaneswar.
The complainant, contractor Sanyasi Subuddhi, alleged that Pattnaik had made bribery a routine practice and frequently delayed payments to contractors.
"Executive Engineer Prasanna Pattnaik was constantly harassing contractors. He demanded money for clearing every bill and even sought Rs 50,000 for issuing experience certificates," Subuddhi alleged.
He further claimed that when he approached the engineer for clearance of a pending bill before his retirement, Pattnaik allegedly demanded Rs 3 lakh.
"We told him that we could not arrange such a large amount immediately and requested him to clear the bill first. However, he refused. Eventually, Vigilance officials caught him while he was accepting Rs 2 lakh," Subuddhi said.
The Vigilance Department has registered a case under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Officials are examining the accused's financial records and assets as part of the ongoing investigation.
The arrest comes amid intensified efforts by Odisha Vigilance to curb corruption in government departments, particularly those handling public works and infrastructure projects.
