Balangir, May 21: Two employees of the Cooperation Department were apprehended by Odisha Vigilance on Wednesday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 70,000 through bank transfer to facilitate the release of MACP arrears of a retired employee in Balangir district.
The accused have been identified as Anil Kumar Panda, Senior Assistant in the office of the Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies (ARCS), Titilagarh Circle, and Harekrushna Majhi, a peon in the same office.
According to Vigilance officials, the complainant had retired from service in January 2025 and was awaiting the release of his arrear salary under the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme. Despite repeated requests, Panda allegedly did not process the file and instead demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh for clearing the dues.
As part of the deal, the retired employee was allegedly asked to pay Rs 70,000 as the first instalment by depositing the amount into the bank account of peon Harekrushna Majhi. Harassed over the demand, the retired staffer approached Odisha Vigilance authorities and lodged a complaint.
Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap on Wednesday and caught both the accused after the bribe amount was received through bank deposit.
Following the successful operation, simultaneous searches are being conducted at locations linked to the accused to probe disproportionate assets (DA) angle.
In this connection, Sambalpur Vigilance Police Station Case No. 06 dated 20.05.2026 has been registered under Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is underway.
