Odisha Vigilance Nabs Assistant Drugs Controller for Accepting Rs.6,000 Bribe; Rs.1.78 Lakh Unaccounted Cash Seized
News ,Odishabarta
Jajpur/Jagatsinghpur, September 3: Odisha Vigilance on Thursday apprehended Sanjay Kumar Hansdah, Assistant Drugs Controller/Drug Inspector, Jajpur, holding additional charge of Jagatsinghpur district, while allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.6,000 from a medicine trader for facilitating the issuance of a wholesale drug licence.
According to Odisha Vigilance, Hansdah was apprehended at Jaipur Chhak on the Paradeep–Cuttack NH-53 roadside while allegedly accepting the bribe from the complainant.
The complainant had applied on May 11, 2025, for a drug licence for his wholesale medicine store. He allegedly met Hansdah several times in connection with the application. However, the official allegedly demanded ₹6,000 from him for recommending the application to the office of the Drug Controller, Bhubaneswar, for issuance of the wholesale medicine licence.
Allegedly harassed by the demand, the complainant reported the matter to the Vigilance authorities.
On Thursday, when the complainant went to Hansdah’s office, the official was reportedly not present. After contacting him over the phone, the complainant was allegedly asked to reach Jaipur Chhak.
When the complainant reached the spot, Hansdah allegedly asked him to sit inside his Wagon R car bearing registration number OD-2L-3325, where he allegedly accepted the bribe of Rs.6,000.
Soon after the transaction, the Vigilance team intercepted Hansdah and recovered the entire bribe amount of ₹6,000 from his possession, which was subsequently seized.
Following the trap, simultaneous searches were launched at his office and residential premises as part of a disproportionate-assets investigation.
Rs.1.78 Lakh Unaccounted Cash Unearthed
In a further development, Odisha Vigilance said that Rs.1,78,700 in unaccounted cash has so far been unearthed during the ongoing searches.
Of the amount, ₹1,25,200 was recovered from Hansdah’s office at Jagatsinghpur, while another ₹53,500 was recovered from his possession. Both amounts have been seized for further verification.
With the latest seizure, the total cash seized in the case stands at ₹1,78,700, apart from the ₹6,000 bribe amount recovered during the trap.
In connection with the trap, Cuttack Vigilance Police Station Case No. 34 dated September 2, 2026, has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
Odisha Vigilance said that the investigation against Hansdah is in progress and that searches are continuing. Further details are expected after completion of the searches and verification of the seized cash and other materials.
