Keonjhar: A special Vigilance court sentenced a retired police official to four years of imprisonment after convicting him for accepting bribe here, Friday. The convicted police official was identified as former IIC of Baria police station Kalu Charan Swain, a native of Balipadar village under Bhanjanagar police limits in Ganjam district. He retired from service while working as a sub-inspector of Nandipada police station, March 31, 2017.
Apart from the punishment, Judge Rashmita Dalei also slapped a penalty of Rs 3,000 on him. In default, he has been asked to undergo an additional two-month prison term. He was remanded to jail custody after the judge pronounced the verdict. The judge passed the order after examining the statements recorded by 15 witnesses and the probe report in the case, special public prosecutor Debadutta Biswal said. According to the case diary, Manoranjan Nayak, a resident under Baria police limits, had a fight with his wife Saraswati over some issues.
Police registered a case of torture after his wife lodged a complaint at Baria police station. The then Baria PS IIC Swain summoned Manoranjan to the police station following the complaint, October 20, 2014. There Swain demanded Rs 15,000 from Manoranjan to loosen up and strike the name of his parents off the case. The next day he produced Manoranjan in court and took Rs 5,000 as bribe in exchange for the case diary.
Later, when Manoranjan was released from jail on bail Swain again demanded Rs 6,000 as bribe to lighten up the case. Left with no other option, Manoranjan met the Vigilance officials and lodged a complaint. The Vigilance unit in Balasore registered a case and nabbed Swain when he was accepting bribe of Rs 6,000 from Manoranjan on the police station premises, December 1, 2014. Swain was produced in the court and remanded to judicial custody