Bhubaneswar: Two officials of the Textiles Department were arrested by the Odisha Vigilance on charges of taking Rs 36,000 as bribe on Friday.

The arrested officials have been identified as Satyananda Behera, the Assistant Director of Textiles in Sonepur and Ramakanta Meher, the secretary of a weavers’ cooperative society under Ullunda block.

The duo allegedly sought Rs 80,000 as bribe from the trainees of a skill upgradation programme under the Promotion of Handloom Industry (POHI) scheme in Sonepur to release their stipend amounts.

Simultaneous searches underway at 4 locations to trace disproportionate assets

The victims lodged a complaint in this regard with the Vigilance Department. Subsequently, a trap was laid and the two officials were caught taking Rs 36,000 as the first instal

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