Odisha Vigilance on Wednesday arrested two senior Excise Department officials, including Keonjhar Excise Superintendent Sitarani Pattayat, for allegedly accepting a bribe from a licensed liquor vendor in exchange for allowing his business to operate without interference.
The second accused has been identified as Bijay Kumar Mohanta, ASI-cum-OIC of Champua Excise Station.
According to Vigilance sources, Pattayat had allegedly been demanding regular bribes from the vendor ever since she took charge four months ago. Unable to tolerate the continuous harassment, the vendor approached the Vigilance authorities and lodged a complaint.
Acting on the tip-off, officials laid a trap on Wednesday. Mohanta was caught red-handed while receiving a ₹40,000 bribe on Pattayat’s instructions delivered over a phone call. Vigilance officers recovered the bribe amount from the duo in the presence of independent witnesses.
Following the arrests, teams conducted simultaneous searches at multiple locations linked to Pattayat and Mohanta, including Pattayat’s rented house in Keonjhar, her residence in Baripada, her spouse’s rented accommodation in Dhamnagar, and Mohanta’s residence and office in Mayurbhanj.
Both officials have been arrested, and a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, has been registered at the Balasore Vigilance Police Station.
