Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Wednesday apprehended Keonjhar superintendent of excise Sitarani Pattayat and ASI-cum-OIC of Champua excise station Bijay Kumar Mohanta while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000.

The Pattayat had allegedly demanded illegal gratification from a licensed liquor vendor in exchange for allowing uninterrupted business operations. ADVERTISEMENT

According to the complaint, the vendor had been facing persistent demands for regular payments from Pattayat since she took charge as the excise superintendent about four months ago. Following which, the vendor approached the Vigilance authorities, reporting repeated harassment and coercion.

Based on the complaint, a trap was laid and Mohanta was nabbed while allegedly accepting the bribe amount from t

See Full Page