Bhubaneswar: Vigilance officials on Thursday apprehended a forester in Puri district on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a man to permit passage through a restricted forest road in the Delang range. The accused, identified as Rakesh Kumar Panda, was posted at Ankui under the Delang forest range.
According to vigilance officials, the complainant had approached the ranger seeking permission to transport a tractor loaded with sand and soil through forest land. Panda demanded Rs 25,000 and threatened to seize the tractor if the payment was not made.
The tractor owner lodged a complaint last week, prompting officials to set a trap on Thursday afternoon. Panda was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe.
Simultaneous searches were conducted at Panda's government quarters in Ankui and his parental home in Khurda. During the search in Khurda, cash amounting to Rs 1.41 lakh was recovered and seized, a vigilance official stated.
Details of the Operation
The vigilance team acted swiftly on the complaint, planning the operation to catch the forester in the act. The accused had been demanding the bribe for several days before the victim decided to report the matter.
Recovery of Cash
In addition to the bribe amount, officials found a significant sum of money during the searches. The recovered cash from the parental house in Khurda is suspected to be linked to other illicit activities.
Further investigation is underway to determine if Panda was involved in other corrupt practices. The arrested forester will be produced in court for judicial custody.
