In a swift anti-corruption move, Odisha Vigilance arrested Sagar Chandra Palai, a Gaon Sathi (village-level functionary) from Balipatna, Bhubaneswar, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs15,000 under the MGNREGA scheme.
Palai was entrusted with facilitating payments for labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. However, he allegedly demanded a bribe from a beneficiary to release the final instalment of payment for a pond excavation project completed on the complainant’s land.
Despite the work being completed, Palai continued pressuring the beneficiary for money. Fed up, the complainant reported the matter to Odisha Vigilance, which laid a trap operation. Palai was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe amount, and the entire Rs15,000 was recovered from his possession.
Following the arrest, Vigilance officers also launched a search at a location linked to Palai to investigate possible disproportionate assets, indicating the potential for broader financial irregularities.
A case has been filed under Bhubaneswar Vigilance P.S. Case No. 14/2025, charging him under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Further investigation is ongoing.