Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance on Friday arrested Sushil Kumar Singh, Junior Engineer (JE) of Badasahi Block in Mayurbhanj district, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 32,000 from a Mate engaged under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
According to an official press release, the complainant was supervising the execution of a morum/metal road project worth Rs 5 lakh in a Gram Panchayat under Badasahi Block. After completing the work, he had been repeatedly requesting the JE for the past couple of months to clear the final bill.
However, Singh allegedly demanded Rs 32,000, nearly seven per cent of the project cost, to process the final payment. Unable to meet the demand, the Mate approached Odisha Vigilance and lodged a complaint.
Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap and apprehended Singh while he was accepting the bribe from the complainant. The entire tainted amount of Rs 32,000 was recovered from his possession and seized.
Following the arrest, simultaneous searches are being conducted at three locations linked to the accused to ascertain whether he possesses assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
A case has been registered at Baleshwar Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
Further investigation is underway.
