Bhubaneswar, 18 May (H.S.): In a significant anti-corruption operation, Odisha Vigilance today apprehended the Headmaster of a government high school in Kendrapara district while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 for facilitating the drawal of arrear salary of a staff member.

The accused, identified as Raghunath Das, Headmaster of a high school at Chadeiguan near Mahakalpada in Kendrapara district, was caught red-handed during a trap operation conducted by vigilance officials.

According to Vigilance officials, the complainant was a newly appointed staff member who had not received his salary since joining in August 2025. The employee had repeatedly requested the Headmaster to submit the attendance sheet to the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) in the office of the District Education Officer (DEO), Kendrapara, for processing his salary.

However, the Headmaster allegedly demanded ₹5,000 as a bribe to carry out the necessary procedural work for release of the arrear salary.

Following the complaint, Odisha Vigilance laid a trap and caught the Headmaster red-handed while accepting the bribe amount of ₹5,000 from the staffer. The entire tainted money was recovered from his possession and seized on the spot.

After the arrest, simultaneous searches are being conducted at two locations linked to the accused Headmaster to investigate assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda