Bhubaneswar, Aug 30 (IANS) The Odisha Vigilance on Sunday arrested an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Police and his associate for allegedly demanding and accepting bribe from an eatery owner in Sundargarh district to spare him from arrest and help him in an excise case.
The accused ASI was identified as Madan Mohan Pradhan, who is currently posted at Lahunipada Police Station in Sundargarh district, and Mandeep Kumar Dasmodak, a private person and an associate of the ASI.
The Odisha Vigilance, in an official statement on Sunday, revealed that the ASI allegedly threatened the eatery owner that he would be arrested and forwarded to court if he failed to pay the demanded bribe.
The officer had allegedly sought the money in exchange for not arresting the complainant and for helping him and his younger brother in an excise case registered against them. Unable to find any other way out, the eatery owner approached the Vigilance authorities and lodged a complaint in this issue.
Acting on the complaint, the Vigilance officials laid a trap late on Saturday night (August 29). During the operation, Pradhan and Dasmodak were allegedly caught while demanding and accepting Rs 20,000 from the complainant.
The entire bribe amount was recovered from the accused in the presence of witnesses and seized by the Vigilance team. Following the trap, simultaneous house searches were conducted at Pradhan’s government residential quarters at Lahunipada, his office room, and his native house at Mahuldiha under Mahulpada police limits in Sundargarh district.
The Odisha Vigilance further stated that the two accused were arrested and were forwarded to court.
In connection with the case, the Odisha Vigilance registered a case (10/26) against the accused duo at the Rourkela Vigilance Police Station on August 29, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
–IANS
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