Bhubaneswar: Vigilance sleuths today detained a Tehsildar who collected a huge amount of bribe from the public and recovered Rs 1.15 lakh cash from him in Rayagada district.
On reliable inputs, a vigilance team intercepted Bichitrananda Nayak, Chandrapur Tehsildar, at Dangasarada on State Highway between Chandrapur and Muniguda while he was proceeding towards Rayagada from Chandrapur with ill-gotten cash.
On seeing the vigilance team, Nayak threw the bag containing ill-gotten cash amounting to Rs 1.15 lakh. The anti-graft officials promptly recovered the cash in the presence of witnesses. Out of anger, the Tahsildar rashly drove his vehicle leaving a member of the Vigilance team injured. He managed to escape from the spot. The Vigilance team later traced him to Rayagada and detained him.
The cash suspected to be ill-gotten bribe money has been seized, vigilance said.
Searches are being carried out at the office and residential quarters of the Tehasildar at Chandrapur and other locations.
He is being interrogated to ascertain the source of the recovered cash, vigilance stated.