Bhubaneswar, 22 January (H.S.): Odisha Vigilance on Thursday apprehended a Revenue Inspector (RI) of Kakhadi Circle under Sadar Tahasil, Cuttack, while allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹10,000 in connection with a mutation case.

The accused has been identified as Sri Janaki Ranjan Mallik, Revenue Inspector, Kakhadi Circle. He was caught red-handed by a Vigilance team at his office while accepting the bribe amount from a land owner for submitting a favourable report in a mutation case and facilitating the issuance of Record of Rights (RoR/Patta).

According to Vigilance sources, the complainant had applied online for mutation of land. Although the case hearing was scheduled for January 27, 2026, the RI allegedly asked the land owner to meet him at his office on January 20, 2026. During the meeting, Sri Mallik reportedly demanded ₹10,000 as illegal gratification for submitting a favourable report in the mutation proceedings.

The land owner expressed his inability to pay the bribe, but the accused allegedly persisted in his demand. Left with no alternative, the complainant approached Odisha Vigilance and lodged a complaint. Acting on the complaint, Vigilance officials laid a trap and apprehended Sri Mallik on January 22, 2026, while he was accepting the bribe amount.

The entire tainted bribe money of ₹10,000 was recovered from the possession of the accused and seized in the presence of witnesses. Following the successful trap operation, Odisha Vigilance launched simultaneous searches at three locations linked to Sri Mallik from a disproportionate assets (DA) angle.

In this connection, Cuttack Vigilance Police Station Case No. 3/2026 has been registered against Sri Janaki Ranjan Mallik under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is currently in progress.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda