Odisha Vigilance Nabs Forest Official Over Rs 1 Lakh Bribe

Bhubaneswar, October 29

Odisha Vigilance has arrested a state forest department official on charges of taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. The official allegedly sought the money to approve bills for the upkeep of three plantation sites.

The accused, Mausami Behera, is the Deputy Ranger of Phulnakhara in the City Forest Division, Bhubaneswar. The Vigilance said she had been demanding the money from an employee within the Phulnakhara range.

The pending bills pertained to July to September 2026. The maintenance involved supervision of the plantations, watering and application of manure, the agency stated.

The Vigilance quoted Behera as saying that the Rs 1 lakh was needed to release payments for the three months. She also reportedly warned that bills for later months would not be cleared unless the bribe was paid.

Unable to meet the demand and deeply troubled by it, the employee went to Vigilance officers and lodged a complaint.

A Vigilance team then set a trap on Thursday and apprehended Behera while she was collecting Rs 1 lakh from the complainant. The full amount was recovered from her and seized by officials.

Vigilance officers have also begun simultaneous searches at two premises linked to Behera. They are examining whether she holds assets beyond her known sources of income.

A case, numbered 9/26, was registered against her on October 28 at the Vigilance Cell police station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. The probe into the matter is ongoing.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Vigilance arrested a senior clerk of the state forest department for allegedly siphoning off over Rs 2.60 crore in government funds. The clerk is accused of preparing false bills under the MACP and RACP schemes since 2023.

In a further case, the Vigilance on October 18 arrested a senior forest department clerk and two associates in Dhenkanal district. They are alleged to have embezzled Rs 65,90,773 of government money between 2016 and 2026.