Smt. Suchismita Parija, Assistant Engineer (AE) of Lamtaput Block in Koraput District, was apprehended by the Odisha Vigilance on Tuesday in a sting operation for accepting a bribe of Rs. 8,000.
The arrest took place at her government residential quarter in Lamtaput, where she was caught red-handed demanding and receiving the bribe as the final instalment of a total of Rs. 15,000 demand.
The bribe was sought from a village mate to facilitate the release of payments for labourers engaged in ghat-cutting work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.
The complainant, a village mate, had earlier paid Rs. 5,000 to Parija, who continued to harass him for the remaining Rs. 10,000, later negotiated down to Rs. 8,000. Frustrated by the persistent demands, the complainant reported the matter to the Odisha Vigilance, prompting the authorities to lay a trap. On June 10, a Vigilance team nabbed Parija while she accepted the bribe money, which was recovered and seized in the presence of witnesses.
Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were conducted at Parija’s government quarter in Lamtaput and her rented residence in Similiguda, Koraput, to uncover any additional evidence. Parija has been arrested and is set to be produced in court. The case has been registered under Koraput Vigilance PS Case No. 22, dated June 9, 2025, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and remains under investigation.
