Bribery / Odisha Vigilance Arrests Kendujhar Labour Officer for Accepting Bribe

Bhubaneswar, Aug 31: Odisha Vigilance has arrested Kendujhar District Labour Officer Akash Bisoi for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹20,000. The officer was caught red-handed while demanding money from a contractor in exchange for issuing a labour license.

According to reports, the contractor had applied online on August 14, 2026, for a labour license required to employ workers for TPNODL’s electrical installation project.

When he approached the Labour Officer on August 16 regarding the license, Bisoi allegedly demanded ₹20,000. The contractor then reported the matter to Vigilance, which laid a trap.

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On Sunday evening, Bisoi was nabbed while accepting the bribe. Vigilance seized the ₹20,000 bribe amount and immediately arrested him. Following the arrest, simultaneous raids were conducted at two of his premises.

During the searches, Vigilance recovered ₹7.29 lakh in cash and 300 grams of gold ornaments from his government quarters. Investigations into disproportionate assets are ongoing.

The case has been registered under Balasore Vigilance PS Case No. 18/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Vigilance officials confirmed that further inquiries are underway to trace additional assets linked to the officer.

Last week, Odisha Vigilance officials had arrested Manoj Ranjan Nayak, Block Programme Manager (NHM) of Kujanga CHC, while accepting a ₹20,000 bribe from an Ashakarmi staffer.

Nayak allegedly threatened to prepone her retirement, citing an Aadhaar card error, despite her School Leaving Certificate confirming two years of service left. He demanded money to allow her continuation.

The distressed staffer approached Vigilance, which laid a trap. Nayak was caught red‑handed, and the tainted cash was seized from his possession.