Bhubaneswar, 05 June (H.S.): A junior assistant working in the office of the District Education Officer (DEO), Bhadrak, was apprehended by Odisha Vigilance on Friday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a private school functionary.

The accused, identified as Srikanta Kumar Dash, Junior Assistant in the DEO Office, Bhadrak, was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe for processing a file related to the issuance of a Recognition Certificate in favour of a private school in the district.

According to Vigilance officials, Dash had allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 from the school representative to facilitate the processing of the file. Despite repeated requests from the complainant to complete the official work without any illegal payment, the accused reportedly insisted on receiving the bribe.

Left with no alternative, the school functionary approached Odisha Vigilance and lodged a complaint. Acting on the information, a Vigilance team laid a trap and apprehended Dash while he was accepting the bribe amount.

The entire bribe money of Rs 10,000 was recovered from the possession of the accused and subsequently seized as evidence.

Following the successful trap operation, Vigilance officials launched simultaneous searches at two locations linked to Dash to investigate possible disproportionate assets (DA).

In connection with the case, Balasore Vigilance Police Station Case No. 09 dated June 4, 2026, has been registered against the accused under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda