It’s bribe-taking time. A retired teacher waited while a junior clerk demanded a bribe of Rs 6,000 to settle her Rs 5 lakh arrear bill. Vigilance officers caught Kirani Babu in the act of accepting the bribe last night.
This incident unfolded at the Khurda district BEO office, where Pradeep Kumar Sahu, a junior clerk and accountant, was apprehended by the vigilance team.
Vijayini Tripathi, a retired teacher from Khurda Konark since 2018, regularly visited the BEO office seeking her arrears. However, Pradeep Kumar Sahu insisted on a bribe of Rs 6,000 to process her outstanding bill of Rs 5 lakh.
After her brother Vinay Tripathi alerted vigilance, Vijayini followed the planned operation and handed over the bribe to Pradeep at the BEO office around 11:00 p.m. last night. Vigilance teams from Khurda and Bhubaneswar had stationed themselves nearby and monitored his actions closely.
Officers seized the bribe money from Pradeep, marked with a chemical coating, and arrested him, taking him to the Khurda Vigilance Office. Vigilance DSP Brajbandhu Sahu also led raids on additional locations associated with Pradeep, including his office.