Odisha Vigilance nabs two officials in Gajapati for accepting ₹30,000 bribe via UPI

Bhubaneswar, May 29: In a major crackdown on corruption, Odisha Vigilance officials on Thursday arrested two government employees from the office of the Superintendent Engineer, Minor Irrigation Division in Gajapati district for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹30,000 through UPI (PhonePe).

The accused have been identified as Divisional Accounts Officer Suraj Prasad Jaiswal and Senior Assistant Naresh Pattanaik. According to a press release issued by the Vigilance Directorate, both officials had demanded illegal gratification from a contractor to process his pending bills amounting to ₹32 lakh for work already completed under various irrigation projects.

The Vigilance team caught the duo red-handed while they were receiving ₹15,000 each via UPI transactions directly to their smartphones. The digital receipt of the bribe has been confirmed, officials stated.

Following the arrest, simultaneous searches are being conducted at two locations associated with the accused to investigate possible possession of assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is currently underway to uncover more details related to the bribery case.