OAS Officer Caught Taking Bribe in Ganjam Dist

Berhampur: Odisha Vigilance arrested senior OAS officer Banamali Satpathy while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 on Wednesday. Satpathy, posted as Executive Officer of Belaguntha Notified Area Council (NAC) in Ganjam district, was caught red-handed at Balipadar Bus Stop.

He had allegedly demanded the bribe from a staffer to process his transfer, release pending arrear salary, and issue his Last Pay Certificate (LPC).

Unable to draw salary at his new posting, the staffer reported the matter to Vigilance authorities. Acting on the complaint, a vigilance team laid a trap and recovered the full bribe amount from Satpathy’s possession.

Following the arrest, simultaneous searches are underway at three locations linked to Satpathy to investigate possible disproportionate assets.

A case has been registered at Berhampur Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the PC (Amendment) Act, 2018. The investigation is ongoing.