Jajpur, Sep 3: Odisha Vigilance on Thursday apprehended Sanjay Kumar Hansdah, Assistant Drugs Controller of Jajpur, holding additional charge of Jagatsinghpur district, while allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹6,000 from an applicant in connection with the issuance of a wholesale medicine licence.
According to Odisha Vigilance, Hansdah was apprehended at Jaipur Chhak on the roadside of the Paradeep–Cuttack NH-53 while allegedly receiving the bribe from the complainant.
The complainant had applied on May 11, 2025, for a drug licence for his wholesale medicine store. He reportedly met Hansdah several times in connection with his application. However, according to the Vigilance complaint, the officer allegedly did not act on the application and demanded ₹6,000 from the applicant for recommending the application to the office of the Drug Controller, Bhubaneswar, for issuance of the wholesale medicine licence.
Allegedly harassed by the demand, the complainant approached the Vigilance authorities and reported the matter.
On Thursday, the complainant initially went to the officer's office but found Hansdah absent. When contacted over the phone, Hansdah allegedly instructed the complainant to come to Jaipur Chhak.
After the complainant reached the location, the accused officer allegedly asked him to sit inside his Wagon R car bearing registration number OD 02L-3325, where he allegedly accepted the demanded bribe of ₹6,000.
Immediately thereafter, the Odisha Vigilance team intervened and apprehended Hansdah. The entire bribe amount of ₹6,000 was recovered from his exclusive possession and seized by the Vigilance officials.
Following the trap, Odisha Vigilance has launched simultaneous searches at the office and residential premises of Hansdah from the disproportionate-assets (DA) angle.
In connection with the case, Cuttack Vigilance Police Station has registered a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, as amended in 2018.
The investigation against Hansdah is currently underway, said Odisha Vigilance.
