Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance officials arrested Bhubanananda Sahu, an Odisha Revenue Service (ORS) officer and Additional Tehsildar of Maneswar Tehsil in Sambalpur district, on Saturday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 6,000. Sahu had sought bribe from a person (complainant) in exchange for converting agricultural land to non-agricultural (homestead) use and issue a Record of Rights (ROR) in their favour.
According to an official press release, Sahu initially demanded Rs 10,000 but reduced the amount to Rs. 6,000 after negotiations. When Sahu refused to process the complainant’s request without the bribe, the complainant reported the harassment to Odisha Vigilance authorities. Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team apprehended Sahu in his office while he was accepting the Rs. 6,000 bribe. The entire bribe amount was recovered from Sahu and seized.
Following the arrest, Vigilance officials initiated simultaneous searches at three locations linked to Sahu to investigate potential disproportionate assets. A case has been registered against him under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. The investigation is ongoing.
