Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance on Monday apprehended a Special Land Acquisition Officer of the Sambalpur-Talcher Doubling Rail Line Project for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh.
The accused has been identified as Ajay Kumar Garanaik, Special Land Acquisition Officer of Sambalpur-Talcher Doubling Rail Line Project.
According to the Vigilance release, Garanaik had demanded Rs 5.10 lakh from a land owner (complainant) in lieu of releasing Rs 84,62,288 towards compensation amount for land acquisition and to show favour in future during the third rail line project. He had already taken Rs 2 lakh on October 27 and was demanding the remaining Rs 3.10 lakh. He also allegedly threatened the complainant that unless the balance bribe was paid, he would create problems during future land acquisition for the third railway line project.
Finding no other option, the complainant reported the matter to Vigilance authorities.
Acting on the complaint, a team of Odisha Vigilance laid a trap today and caught Garanaik red-handed while accepting the balance bribe amount of Rs 3,10,000 from the complainant. The tainted bribe money of Rs 3,10,000 has been recovered from his possession and seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches are underway at three locations linked to Garanaik from a Disproportionate Assets (DA) angle.
In this connection, Sambalpur Vigilance P.S. Case No. 20 dated 01.11.2026 U/s 7 P.C. (Amendment) Act, 2018 has been registered. Investigation is in progress. Detailed report follows.
