Bhubaneswar: A Revenue Inspector was nabbed by Vigilance on Monday while accepting bribe for facilitating issuance of a caste certificate in Malkangiri district.
Suraj Bala, Revenue Inspector of Jharapali Circle under Malkangiri Tahasil, was caught red-handed while demanding and taking a bribe of Rs 8,000 from an applicant to submit a verification report for issuance of a Scheduled Caste Certificate in favour of the applicant’s spouse.
According to Vigilance, the applicant had applied online as per the rules prescribed by the Revenue & Disaster Management Department and had also deposited the requisite fee. However, the accused RI was allegedly delaying the process and demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000.
Bala asked the complainant to pay Rs 8,000 for now and Rs 2,000 after the work was done. Aggrieved by the demand and harassment, the applicant approached Odisha Vigilance. Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap and apprehended Bala in his office chamber while he was taking Rs 8,000 from the complainant. The entire tainted bribe money was recovered from his possession and seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being conducted at two locations linked to Sri Bala from the Disproportionate Assets angle.
In this connection, Koraput Vigilance PS registered a under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Investigation is underway.
Officials said Bala was earlier involved in another trap case in 2023. He was accused of taking a bribe of Rs 15,000 for issuance of a notice of appearance in an EC case. The matter is currently sub-judice.
