Odisha Vigilance arrested the Superintendent of Excise, Keonjhar, Sitarani Pattayat, and ASI-cum-OIC of Champua Excise Station, Bijay Kumar Mohanta, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 from a licensed liquor vendor.
Officials said Pattayat had been demanding regular payments from the vendor since assuming charge four months ago. The vendor, facing harassment, reported the matter to the Vigilance authorities. Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap and apprehended Pattayat and Mohanta. Investigators confirmed that Mohanta collected the bribe on Pattayat’s telephonic instructions.
Vigilance officers recovered and seized the entire bribe amount from the accused. Following the arrest, simultaneous searches began at three locations linked to Pattayat and two locations connected to Mohanta to examine disproportionate assets.
Authorities registered Balasore Vigilance PS Case No. 17/2025 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 against both accused. Officials stated that the investigation is in progress and a detailed report will follow.
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