Nayagarh, March 30: Odisha Vigilance on Monday apprehended a senior assistant posted at the Khandapara Sub-Treasury in Nayagarh district while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹3,000 from a pensioner.

The accused has been identified as Saroj Kumar Sahoo, Senior Assistant in the office of the Sub-Treasury Officer, Khandapara. According to Vigilance officials, Sahoo had demanded the bribe to facilitate the credit of pensionary benefits in favour of the complainant.

Sources said Sahoo allegedly threatened to block the processing of pension bills if the demanded amount was not paid. Aggrieved by the harassment, the pensioner approached Odisha Vigilance authorities and lodged a complaint.

Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap and caught Sahoo red-handed while accepting the bribe. The entire tainted money amounting to ₹3,000 was recovered from his possession and subsequently seized.

Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being conducted at two locations linked to the accused to investigate possible disproportionate assets.

In this connection, a case has been registered at Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is underway, and a detailed report is awaited.