Bhubaneswar, 07 September (H.S.) : The Odisha Vigilance on Monday apprehended two revenue officials of Puri district for allegedly demanding and accepting a ₹35,000 bribe in connection with a land mutation case involving the conversion of agricultural land into homestead land.

The accused have been identified as Kalyani Jena, Revenue Inspector (RI), and Purna Chandra Behera, Assistant Revenue Inspector (ARI), both posted at the Siula RI Circle under Pipili Tahasil in Puri district.

According to the Odisha Vigilance, the complainant had applied under the prescribed government rules for conversion of agricultural land into homestead land. When he approached the RI office to enquire about the status of his application, the two officials allegedly demanded ₹35,000 for initiating the mutation process and processing and forwarding the required enquiry report.

Despite repeated requests from the applicant, the accused officials allegedly insisted on payment of the bribe. Following the alleged harassment, the complainant approached the Vigilance authorities and reported the matter.

Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap on Monday and apprehended Jena and Behera while they were allegedly accepting the bribe from the complainant.

The entire tainted amount of ₹35,000 was recovered from the accused officials and seized by the Vigilance team.

Following the trap, the Vigilance department launched simultaneous searches at the accused officials’ office and residential premises at Brahmakumdi near Charichhak, Achyutapur near Chandanpur and Rasulgarh in Bhubaneswar.

The searches are being conducted to ascertain whether the accused officials have accumulated assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

In connection with the trap, Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station Case No. 20, dated September 5, 2026, has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, as amended in 2018.

The Odisha Vigilance has initiated an investigation against both accused officials, and further details are awaited.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda