Bhubaneswar: Vigilance sleuths apprehended an Assistant Agriculture Officer (AAO) and block Technology Manager, both from the Agriculture Office in Umerkote of Nabarangpur for accepting a bribe.
AAO Nilakantha Parida and Technology Manager Surendrasingh Bundela were caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs. 5,000 from a beneficiary of the Jalanidhi scheme.
The bribe was taken in exchange for crediting the subsidy amount in favour of the beneficiary for digging a bore-well on his land. The entire tainted bribe money has been recovered and seized from their possession, vigilance said.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being conducted at three locations linked to Parida and two locations linked to Bundela from DA angle.
A case has been registered at Koraput Vigilance Police Station under Section 7/12 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. The investigation is underway against both officials.
