Sambalpur RI Caught Taking ₹40,000 Bribe, Arrested by Vigilance

Bhubaneswar: Vigilance officials on Wednesday arrested a Revenue Inspector (RI) in Odisha’s Sambalpur district for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹40,000 in a land lease case.

The accused, identified as Bhisma Pradhan, is posted as the RI of Goudpalli Revenue Circle under Jamankira Tahasil. He had allegedly demanded the bribe from a private individual in exchange for furnishing a favourable report and issuing a Record of Rights (RoR), commonly known as a land patta, in the complainant’s favour.

Acting on a complaint filed with the Vigilance Department, officials laid a trap and caught Pradhan red-handed while he was accepting the bribe amount. The entire sum of ₹40,000 was recovered from his possession and seized as evidence.

Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were launched at two locations associated with the RI to investigate possible possession of disproportionate assets.

The Sambalpur Vigilance Police Station has registered a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and a detailed investigation is underway.