Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance officials on Tuesday apprehended Dipti Ranjan Mohapatra, Revenue Inspector of Kendrapati under Astaranga Tehsil in Puri district, along with his associate Sampad Kumar Das, a private individual, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 7,000.
The duo was caught following a complaint from a local resident who had been seeking a homestead enquiry report for his father’s land – a mandatory document for property transactions that must be prepared by the concerned Revenue Inspector (RI).
According to the complaint, Mohapatra and Das had been persistently demanding the bribe for nearly a month to process the routine document.
Frustrated by the continuous harassment and having no alternative, the complainant approached the Vigilance department.
Acting promptly on the tip-off, anti-corruption sleuths laid a trap and caught Mohapatra and Das red-handed while accepting the illicit payment. The entire bribe amount of Rs 7,000 was recovered from the accused and seized as evidence.
Odisha Vigilance has registered a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 against both Mohapatra and Das.
