Odisha Vigilance cracks down on graft, three officials face action

Bhubaneswar, Sept 12: In a significant move to curb corruption, the Odisha Vigilance Department has arrested three government officials on charges of bribery and embezzlement. The arrests were made during separate operations in Sambalpur, Nayagarh, and Mayurbhanj districts.

According to an official release, Aswini Kumar Panda (OAS), Tahsildar of Bamra in Sambalpur, was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 from a complainant in exchange for converting agricultural land into homestead land under a mutation case. Panda’s office driver, P. Praveen Kumar, was also apprehended during the operation. The Vigilance team has launched searches at three of Panda’s properties to assess possible disproportionate assets.

In Nayagarh, Chittaranjan Rout, District Labour Officer, was arrested for demanding and receiving ₹6,000 from a labourer for issuing labour cards. He too was caught red-handed, and simultaneous raids are underway at his residences to trace illegal wealth.

Meanwhile, in Mayurbhanj, Puspita Mahakud, former PEO of Luhasila Gram Panchayat, was nabbed for embezzling ₹5.68 lakh earmarked for old-age pensions meant for senior citizens.

The Vigilance Directorate has registered separate cases against all three accused, and further investigations are ongoing to unearth the full scale of corruption.