Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance on Tuesday caught a junior clerk of the Block Education Officer’s (BEO) office in Mahakalpada, Kendrapara district, while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 from a headmaster.
The accused, identified as Narayan Prasad Lenka, was reportedly demanding the money to process the final installment of a housing loan of ₹6.20 lakh, as well as to clear the complainant’s pending salary, travel allowance bills, and other dues. Vigilance officials said Lenka had been deliberately delaying the file and refused to release the payments without the bribe.
Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap and apprehended Lenka at Canal Road, Marshaghai, while he was receiving the bribe. The entire amount was recovered from his possession and seized as evidence.
Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were launched at three locations linked to Lenka to detect any disproportionate assets.
Cuttack Vigilance Police Station has registered a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. The investigation is underway.
