Odisha Vigilance apprehended Biswamohan Pattnaik, Senior Assistant at the Odisha Pharmacy Council, and his associate, Md. Izaz Khan, a private individual, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 9,000 from an applicant seeking a Pharmacy Registration Certificate.
For nearly a week, the applicant had requested Pattnaik to process the certificate. Pattnaik allegedly demanded Rs 9,000 to verify documents and facilitate the issuance. On June 9, when the applicant approached Pattnaik near the Pharmacy Council office in Bhubaneswar, Pattnaik repeated his demand and directed the applicant to hand over the money to Khan.
The complainant immediately reported the matter to the Vigilance authorities. Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap and caught both accused while accepting the bribe. Officials seized the entire tainted amount of Rs 9,000 from their possession.
Following the operation, simultaneous searches were launched at two locations linked to Pattnaik to investigate disproportionate assets. A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, at Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station.
