Tahsildar, DLO, Ex-PEO Booked in Odisha Vigilance Bribery and Fraud Crackdown

Bhubaneswar: In an anti-corruption drive, the Odisha Vigilance Directorate has arrested three government officials for bribery and embezzlement, exposing deep-rooted malpractice in public service.

Aswini Kumar Panda, Tahsildar of Bamra in Sambalpur district, was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a complainant seeking land conversion in a mutation case. Panda’s office driver, P Praveen Kumar, was also apprehended during the transaction. Vigilance teams have launched searches at three locations linked to Panda, probing disproportionate assets.

In Nayagarh, District Labour Officer (DLO) Chittaranjan Rout was arrested for demanding and receiving Rs 6,000 from a labourer in exchange for issuing labour cards. Rout was caught in the act, and raids are underway at multiple premises connected to him.

Meanwhile, Puspita Mahakud, former Panchayat Executive Officer of Luhasila in Mayurbhanj, was booked for embezzling Rs 5.68 lakh meant for old age pension beneficiaries.

Cases have been registered against all three, and investigations are ongoing.