Bhubaneswar: A joint team of Khurda and Bhubaneswar Vigilance Friday caught red-handed the principal of Keranga Panchayat Higher Secondary School while she was accepting Rs 50,000 bribe for approval of the pending salary of assistant librarian Dhiraj Badajena. The accused, Bidyut Prava Jena, had allegedly demanded the amount from the spouse of Badajena to settle the arrear salary issue, a Vigilance official stated.
As per reports, Badajena, who had undergone a brain surgery, was in dire need of money. When he approached Bidyut Prava to take up the issue of his pending salary from January 2018 to February 2022 before the competent authority, the principal demanded Rs 1 lakh for the purpose.
However, later she agreed to do it at Rs 50,000. As per the plan, a trap was laid January 19 and Bidyut Prava was nabbed when she was receiving the chemicallaced cash from Badajena’s wife Diptirani. Khurdha Vigilance lodged a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Amendment Act, 2018, and produced the accused before a special court Friday. Meanwhile, the Vigilance began a search at the residence of the principal to look into any possible DA angle in the case.