Antaryami Behera, Block Education Officer (BEO), Gunupur in Rayagada district, was arrested today by Odisha Vigilance officials for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.10,000 from a retired teacher in order to release pending arrear dues and submit Service Book for finalisation of pension.
Based on a complaint from the retired teacher, Vigilance officials allegedly set a trap today in which accused Behera was allegedly caught in his rented Gunupur residential house demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the retired teacher.
In the presence of witnesses, the entire bribe money was recovered from Behera’s possession and seized.
Following the trap, Vigilance officials conducted simultaneous searches at the BEO’s rented residence in Shantinagar, Gunupur; his residential flat in Subham Daitari Complex in front of KIIT, Bhubaneswar; his native village of Barapalli in Bargarh district; and his office chamber in Gunupur.
He has been sent to the Court.
Behera is the subject of an investigation at the Koraput Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
Prasanta Patnaik