Bhubaneswar: In a swift operation, Odisha Vigilance officials on Wednesday arrested Forester Biswanath Soren of the Dihadol Section in Dhenkanal and Sudipta Kumar Sahoo, a member of an elephant squad, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000.
The duo was caught red-handed while demanding money from a farmer to allow him to till a patch of land under the Forester’s jurisdiction.
According to an official press release, Soren had allegedly demanded Rs 25,000 from the farmer, threatening to register cases against him and seize his tilling equipment if the amount was not paid.
The farmer had already paid Rs 15,000 a few days earlier under duress, but the Forester demanded an additional Rs 10,000. Unable to bear the harassment, the farmer reported the matter to the Vigilance authorities, who set up a trap and apprehended the duo while they were accepting the bribe. The entire amount of Rs 10,000 was recovered from them and seized as evidence.
Simultaneous searches are being conducted at four locations linked to the Forester and one location connected to Sahoo to determine whether they have accumulated assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.
A case has been registered against the accused under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and further investigation is underway.
