Rayagada: In a late-night operation, the Odisha Vigilance officials arrested Prasanna Kumar Pattnaik, Executive Engineer of RWD-I, Rayagada, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a contractor. The bribe was sought for clearing pending bills worth ₹50 lakh and issuing a work experience certificate to help the contractor participate in a fresh tender process.
According to the Vigilance release, the contractor had been repeatedly requesting Pattnaik to issue the experience certificate. The Executive Engineer reportedly demanded Rs 2.5 lakh (5% of the Rs 50 lakh bill amount) for clearing the bills and issuing the certificate.
Following negotiations, the bribe amount was reduced to ₹2 lakh. Unable to meet the demand, the aggrieved contractor approached the Vigilance authorities.
Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team trapped Pattnaik on the night of June 23, while he was accepting the bribe. The entire tainted amount of Rs 2 lakh was recovered from his possession and seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous raids were conducted at Pattnaik’s residences and office:
- Residential house at Plot No. 286/11, Nandan Vihar, Basundhara Colony, Bhubaneswar
- House at Udaypatho Lane, PWD Road, Nayagada (native village)
- Office chamber and government residential quarter in Rayagada
During the searches, Vigilance officials unearthed additional cash amounting to Rs 3.39 lakh from his government quarter in Rayagada. With this, the total cash recovered stands at Rs 5.39 lakh.
Pattnaik was due to retire on June 30, 2026.
A case has been registered at Koraput Vigilance Police Station vide Case No. 12/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is underway.
