Bribery / Odisha Vigilance Arrests CDPO, RI in Bribery Cases

Bhubaneswar, Aug 18: The Odisha Vigilance officers swooped down on Baleshwar district, arresting a woman Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) after she allegedly sought a bribe from a vehicle owner to clear pending hire‑charge bills for official use.

The accused, identified as Madhusmita Mohanty, CDPO, Sadar, Baleshwar, and In‑charge CDPO, Baleshwar Municipality, had recently been given additional charge following the superannuation of the officer there.

According to Vigilance, “The owner of the vehicle engaged his vehicle on a rental basis in the office of the CDPO, Baleshwar Municipality, since 2024. When the vehicle owner recently submitted pending bills for two months (June & July 2026) for payment of Rs 26,000 per month, Mohanty demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 to pass the bills for necessary drawal. Being aggrieved, the vehicle owner approached the Vigilance authorities.”

Also read: Odisha Vigilance Nabs Capital Hospital Doctor for Bribery

Acting on the complaint, the Vigilance team laid a trap and caught Mohanty red‑handed inside the Collectorate office premises while demanding and accepting the bribe. The entire bribe money was recovered from her possession in the presence of witnesses.

Simultaneous searches were conducted at her double‑storied residence in Gopalgaon, Balasore, and her office chamber. A case (16/26) has been registered at Baleshwar Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

In a separate case, Vigilance sleuths arrested Suraj Bala, Revenue Inspector (RI), Jharapali Circle under Malkangiri Tahasil, for taking a bribe of Rs 8,000 from an applicant to submit a verification report for issuance of a Scheduled Caste Certificate in favour of his spouse.

The applicant had applied online as per rules of the Revenue & Disaster Management Department and deposited the requisite fee. Bala allegedly delayed the process and demanded Rs 10,000. Vigilance laid a trap and caught him red‑handed while accepting Rs 8,000.

Officials noted Bala had earlier been involved in another trap case registered at Koraput Vigilance Police Station (Case 33/2023) for allegedly accepting Rs 15,000 in an encroachment matter, which remains sub judice.

(IANS)