Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance on Friday arrested Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Badagaon Police Station in Sundargarh district, Arupa Nanda Das, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000.
The arrest followed a trap laid by Vigilance authorities after a complaint from a roadside dhaba (eatery) owner.
According to sources, the ASI had demanded the bribe to assist the complainant in resolving a pending case in his favour and to ensure the smooth operation of his business without police interference or harassment. He was caught red-handed while receiving the bribe amount. The entire tainted cash of Rs 25,000 was recovered from his possession and seized as evidence.
Following the trap, Vigilance teams conducted simultaneous searches at four locations linked to Das, including his government quarters in Badagaon and Bhubaneswar and over Rs 3.31 lakh was seized. Additionally, foreign currencies from Vietnam and Nepal were recovered during the raids. Das had travelled to Vietnam last year during the month of May. “The accused officer was forwarded to court on Friday for further legal proceedings,” a Vigilance release said.
While a case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, further investigation is underway to determine possible disproportionate assets and other irregularities.