Crackdown in Odisha: Vigilance Dept nabs OAS topper, 2 others in corruption cases

Bhubaneswar, Sep 12 (IANS) In a significant development, the Odisha Vigilance on Friday arrested three government officials including a 2019-batch topper of Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer in separate cases of corruption.

“On September 12, Aswini Kumar Panda, OAS, Tahasildar, Bamra, in Sambalpur district has been apprehended by Odisha Vigilance for receiving bribe of Rs 15,000 from the complainant for conversion of agricultural land to homestead land in a mutation case,” said a senior Vigilance official.

The official further added that the complainant had allegedly been requesting the accused Tahasildar for about a month for the conversion of his agricultural land.

However, Panda demanded bribe Rs 20,000 to allow conversion and the issue of RoRs in favour of the complainant.

When the complainant expressed his inability to pay such a huge amount as bribe, accused Panda reduced the bribe amount to Rs 15,000 and threatened to not allow the conversion in mutation case otherwise.

Left with no other option, the complainant approached the Vigilance authorities.

“Based on the above complaint, the Vigilance sleuths on Friday laid a trap was laid and nabbed the accused OAS officer in his office room while receiving the bribe of Rs.15,000 from the complainant through his office driver P. Praveen Kumar.

"The entire bribe money was recovered and seized from them,” the official added.

Following the trap, simultaneous searches have been launched on the residential building of Panda at May-Fair Road, Bhubaneswar where family of Tahasildar are staying, PWD, IB at Bamra (where Tahasildar is staying) and his office chamber.

The cops also seized cash worth Rs 4,73,000 recovered from his residential building at May-Fair Road, Bhubaneswar during the search.

Police later on Friday arrested both the accused persons, Panda and his driver P. Praveen Kumar and forwarded them to the Court.

Accused Panda, topped in Odisha Civil Services in 2019 and joined the government service as Training Reserve Officer (TRO) in OAS-I (JB) on December 30, 2021 in the office of the Collector, Balasore.

He has been posted as Tahasildar of Bamra in Sambalpur district since July 1, 2025. Similarly, in another case, the Odisha vigilance on Friday also arrested Chittaranjan Rout, the District Labour Officer of Nayagarh after he was caught red-handed while taking bribe Rs 6,000 from 20 poor daily wagers for the issuance of labour cards.

As per the vigilance sources, the accused Rout had refused to issue Labour Cards unless he was paid bribe Rs.6,000 demanded by him.

As the poor labourers failed to pay the amount, he delayed the issuance of the labour cards for around a year. Finding no other way, one of daily wagers finally approached the vigilance officials seeking action against rout.

On Friday, one Puspita Mahakud, Former Panchayat Executive Officer, Luhasila Gram Panchayat under Bijatola Block of Mayurbhanj district, was arrested by the vigilance sleuths on the charges of misappropriating government over Rs 5.68 lakh, meant for distribution to senior citizens as Old Age Pension.

--IANS

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