Keonjhar, Aug 31: Odisha Vigilance officials arrested Keonjhar District Labour Officer (DLO) Akash Bisoi for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from an electrical contractor for issuing a labour licence.
According to Vigilance sources, the contractor had been assigned electrical installation work by TPNODL and was required to obtain a labour licence to engage workers for the project.
The contractor submitted an online application for the licence on August 14, 2026, following the rules of the Odisha Labour and ESI Department. However, when he enquired about the status of his application on August 16, Bisoi allegedly demanded ₹20,000 to process and issue the licence.
The contractor subsequently approached the Odisha Vigilance authorities and lodged a complaint against the officer.
Acting on the complaint, Vigilance officials laid a trap and allegedly caught Bisoi red-handed while accepting the ₹20,000 bribe from the complainant on Sunday evening. The entire tainted amount was recovered from his possession and seized.
Meanwhile, simultaneous searches were conducted at two locations linked to the accused officer to determine whether he had accumulated any disproportionate assets.
A case has been registered at Baleshwar Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
Further investigation into the alleged bribery case is underway.
