Bhubaneswar, August 30: The Odisha Vigilance Department has arrested an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) and his associate for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from a dhaba operator in Sundargarh district.
The arrested ASI has been identified as Madan Mohan Pradhan, currently stationed at the Lahuni Pada police station in Sundargarh. His accomplice, a private individual named Mandeep Kumar Dasmodak, was also taken into custody.
According to an official statement released by Odisha Vigilance, the ASI allegedly threatened the dhaba operator, claiming he would be arrested and presented in court if he did not pay the demanded bribe.
The ASI reportedly sought a bribe in exchange for assistance in an excise case filed against the complainant and his younger brother, intending to help them avoid arrest. With no other options, the dhaba operator contacted Vigilance officials to file a complaint.
Based on this complaint, Vigilance officials set a trap on the night of August 29. During the operation, Pradhan and Dasmodak were allegedly caught red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹20,000 from the complainant.
The Vigilance team seized the entire amount of the bribe in the presence of witnesses. Following the operation, searches were conducted at ASI Madan Mohan Pradhan’s government residence in Lahuni Pada, his office, and his ancestral village Mahuldih in the Mahulpada police station area of Sundargarh district.
Odisha Vigilance reported that both accused individuals have been arrested and presented in court. A case has been registered at the Rourkela Vigilance police station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
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