Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance has arrested three officers including a lady veterinary doctor during the past 24 hours on corruption charges, said an officer Thursday evening.
According to the Vigilance official, Susmita Sethi, block veterinary officer (BVO), Reamal of Deogarh district has been arrested while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 from a poultry farmer (complainant).
Sethi has demanded a bribe from the farmer to submit an asset verification report in his favour for releasing the pending subsidy bill for construction of a village poultry farm.
Similarly, Drona Kumar Tandi, a school headmaster of Kalahandi district has been apprehended by the Vigilance while accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 from a contractor for clearing his running bill.
The accused has told the contractor to give him the bank slip after depositing Rs 40,000 in his bank account. After depositing the amount, the contractor handed over the counter foil of the deposit slip when the vigilance sleuths entered into his official chamber.
“Unable to hide the bank slip, he swallowed the paper slip”, a vigilance release said, adding that on verification of his cell phone, a message was found to have been received in his cell phone regarding credit of Rs 40,000 deposited in cash by the contractor.
The Vigilance also arrested Rasananda Kar, block education officer (BEO) Daringbadi in Kandhamal district on Wednesday evening for misappropriation of government money of Rs 20 lakh.
The Vigilance has registered three cases against the government servants and launched simultaneous searches at the properties of the three officials at different locations.
Meanwhile, Ramesh Chandra Sahoo, a retired Odisha Administrative Service officer along with former panchayat executive officer Gourahari Rout has been convicted in a corruption case filed by the state Vigilance.
The court of special judge, Vigilance, Jeypore, on Thursday, convicted the duo for misappropriation of government money to the tune of Rs 6 lakh, a statement of vigilance said.
The court sentenced them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for four years and also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh each, it said.
Both the convicts Sahoo and Rout were sent to jail custody to serve their sentence on Thursday. The vigilance said it will now move the competent authority for stoppage of the pension of Sahoo and dismissal of Rout.
PTI