Angul, 8/1 : In a dramatic turn of events at the Kiakata Revenue Inspector (RI) office today, Odisha Vigilance officials apprehended a Revenue Inspector while he was accepting a bribe of ₹6,000. The accused, identified as Surendra Kumar Dash, RI of Tusar RI Circle under Athamallik Tahasil, attempted to destroy the evidence by throwing the tainted money out of a restroom window upon spotting the anti-corruption team, but his efforts were in vain.
The arrest follows a complaint lodged by a local landowner who had been allegedly harassed by Dash for over a month. According to Vigilance sources, the complainant had applied for the demarcation of his land plots on November 24, 2025. Despite the standard procedure, the file reportedly did not move until the landowner approached the RI personally on January 5, 2026.
During this meeting, Dash allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹10,000 to initiate the process and pass the necessary demarcation orders. The official reportedly collected ₹2,000 as an advance on that very day and instructed the landowner to bring the remaining ₹8,000 on Thursday, January 8. When the landowner expressed financial difficulty, Dash negotiated the balance down to ₹6,000 but refused to proceed without the payment.
Unwilling to succumb to the corruption, the landowner approached the Odisha Vigilance Division. A trap was subsequently laid today at the RI office campus in Kiakata. As Dash accepted the final installment of ₹6,000, Vigilance officers moved in. In a panic, Dash rushed to a restroom and flung the cash out of the window. However, the Vigilance team successfully recovered the entire amount in the presence of witnesses.
“The entire tainted bribe money of ₹6,000 has been recovered and seized. The accused attempted to dispose of it, but our team secured the evidence immediately,” stated a Vigilance official.
Following the trap, a case has been registered under Cuttack Vigilance Police Station Case No. 01, dated 08.01.2026, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Simultaneous searches are currently underway at three locations associated with Dash to investigate whether he possesses assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The accused will be forwarded to the court shortly.
#Angul #OdishaVigilance #Corruption #NoBribe #OdishaNews #ONN
