Balangir, Oct 29: Odisha Vigilance officials on Wednesday apprehended Umakanta Mahakur, Assistant CT&GST Officer of Titlagarh in Balangir district, while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs12,000 from a local businessman.

The arrest was made following a complaint that Mahakur demanded the bribe to waive off penalties and interest imposed for non-payment of professional tax.

Today, a short while ago, Sri Umakanta Mahakur, Asst CT&GST Officer, Titlagarh, #Bolangir has been apprehended by #Odisha #Vigilance while taking bribe Rs.12,000/-from a businessman to waive off penalty imposed on him for not payment of professional tax for three financial years.

— Odisha Vigilance (@OdishaVigilance) October 29, 2025

According to the complaint, the businessman had defaulted on professional tax payments for three financial years, totaling Rs 7,500 at Rs 2,500 per year. Upon receiving a notice from Mahakur demanding Rs 23,600 — including tax, fine, and interest — the complainant approached the officer to settle the tax dues alone. However, Mahakur allegedly refused and insisted on a Rs 12,000 bribe to drop the additional charges.

Also Read: Vigilance Trap / Odisha Vigilance Nabs Police ASI In Rs 40,000 Bribery Case

Prompted by the demand, the complainant alerted Odisha Vigilance authorities, who laid a trap and caught Mahakur red-handed while accepting the bribe. The entire tainted amount was recovered from his possession and seized as evidence.

Following the successful operation, simultaneous searches are underway at multiple locations linked to Mahakur to investigate disproportionate assets. The case has been registered under Sambalpur Vigilance PS Case No. 21/2025, U/s-7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

Officials stated that the investigation is ongoing and further details will be shared as the inquiry progresses.