Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance apprehended Assistant Fisheries Officer (AFO) Bibhuti Bhusan Pradhan from Biramaharajpur, Subarnapur district, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000.
The accused AFO, along with private person Babulal Barik, were caught red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 30,000.
According to a release issued by Odisha Vigilance, Pradhan had initially demanded Rs 45,000 from a woman self-help group to release the second phase subsidy under the ‘Carp Grow-out in GP tank by WSHG’ scheme. After the complainant expressed her inability to pay the amount, Pradhan allegedly reduced the bribe amount to Rs 30,000.
The Vigilance team took swift action after receiving the complaint and trapped Pradhan and Barik while they were accepting the bribe. The entire amount of Rs 30,000 has been recovered and seized from the possession of the accused duo.
A case has been registered against Pradhan and Barik under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and an investigation is currently underway.
Simultaneous searches are being conducted at multiple locations linked to the accused from the DA angle to gather further evidence.
