Bhubaneswar: Vigilance officials today arrested In-charge Superintendent of Excise, Deogarh Ajit Kumar Mohapatra for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh from a licensed Foreign Liquor vendor, said an official press release.
Mohapatra had sought the bribe money through Mathura Mohan Pradhan, ASI of Excise, Barkote to facilitate a licensed Foreign Liquor vendor in his business.
Pradhan has been also arrested by the Vigilance.
Mohapatra had demanded Rs 3 Lakh from the vendor to be paid in two instalments.
The aforementioned Foreign Liquor vendor had lodged a complaint with the Vigilance in this regard.
Based on the above complaint, Vigilance officials laid a trap today wherein accused Mohapatra, In-Charge Superintendent of Excise, Deogarh was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh from the complainant.
The bribe money was recovered from the possession of Mohapatra and was seized in presence of witnesses.
Following the trap, Vigilance has launched simultaneous searches on the residential house of Mohapatra at Berhampur and his rented house at Deogarh town as well as the residential house of Pradhan at Purunapani in Deogarh district.
Both Mohapatra and Pradhan will be forwarded to court, the release stated.