Odisha Vigilance has arrested Sarita Barik, OFS-I, the Assistant Commissioner of State Tax, Bhubaneswar-IV Circle, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a food products firm owner.
The Bribery and Investigation
On Tuesday, Vigilance officials set a trap after the business owner filed a complaint. According to the complainant, Barik had issued a show-cause notice to the firm, demanding payment of Rs 2,27,147 for a reversal of Input Tax Credit (ITC) from the 2020-21 financial year. When the owner approached her, Barik allegedly demanded the bribe in exchange for waiving the penalty. She was caught red-handed accepting the money in her car in front of a coaching institute in Bhubaneswar.
Following her apprehension, Vigilance teams conducted simultaneous raids at three locations linked to Barik to investigate for disproportionate assets.
Assets Recovered and Legal Action
During the searches, investigators recovered significant assets, including:
- Cash: Rs 1.45 lakh
- Gold: 222 grams
- Bank Deposits: Around Rs 60 lakh
- Documents: Jewellery bills and property-related papers from a rented residence in Bhubaneswar.
Barik has been formally arrested and will be presented before the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Court. A case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and the investigation is ongoing.
