Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance on Thursday apprehended a Deputy Forest Ranger while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a staff member of the same range.
The accused has been identified as Mousumi Behera, Deputy Ranger of Phulnakhara under City Forest Division, Bhubaneswar.
According to the Vigilance release, Behera was demanding a bribe of Rs 1,00,000 from a staffer of Phulnakhara Range in lieu of releasing bills towards maintenance of three plantation sites. The maintenance included watch and ward, watering, and fertiliser work for the period from July to September, 2026.
She had allegedly threatened the staffer that if the demanded bribe was not paid, she would not release the bills for the upcoming months as well. Unable to meet the demand, the aggrieved staffer reported the matter to the Vigilance authorities.
Acting on the complaint, a team of Odisha Vigilance laid a trap and nabbed Behera while she was taking the bribe amount of Rs 1 lakh from the complainant. The entire tainted bribe money of Rs 1 lakh has been recovered from her possession and seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches are underway at two locations linked to Behera from a Disproportionate Assets (DA) angle.
In this connection, Vigilance Cell P.S Case No. 09 dated 28.10.2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 has been registered. Investigation is in progress.
