Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Thursday arrested Abhiram Sahu, a Senior Assistant at ESI Dispensary at Rourkela in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a complainant (injured in an accident) for processing his medical reimbursement claim under the ESI Scheme.
The complainant being a poor man had been repeatedly requesting the accused Sahu to process his medical claim for a long time. However, Sahu was insisting the complainant pay the demanded bribe of Rs 10,000 to get his work done but the complainant expressed his inability to pay the bribe. Finding no other way, he informed the Vigilance authority narrating his harassment by Sahu. Accordingly, the Vigilance officials planned and trapped Sahu on Thursday while accepting Rs 10,000 as a bribe from the complainant. The entire bribe money has been recovered and seized from the possession of the accused Sahu.
Following the successful trap, Vigilance personnel have launched simultaneous searches at two locations linked to Sahu from the disproportionate assets (DA) angle.
A case has been registered in this connection at the Rourkela Vigilance police station under Section 7 Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation into the case is in progress and a detailed report is awaited.
