Berhampur, May 29, 2025 — In a swift operation earlier today, the Odisha Vigilance Department apprehended two government officials red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹30,000 via UPI transaction in Gajapati district. The accused Suraj Prasad Jaiswal, Divisional Accounts Officer (DAO), and Naresh Pattanaik, Senior Assistant — are posted at the Office of the Superintendent Engineer, Minor Irrigation, Gajapati.
According to vigilance officials, the duo was caught while accepting ₹15,000 each from a local contractor for the clearance of pending bills amounting to ₹32 lakh. The bills were related to three work orders issued in the contractor’s name and one in his relative’s name, totaling over ₹86 lakh.
Facing repeated demands for illegal gratification, the contractor approached the Vigilance Department. Acting on the complaint, vigilance teams laid a trap and caught the officials accepting the bribe through PhonePe, a digital payment app. The receipt of ₹30,000 into the respective smartphones of both accused has been forensically established.
Following the arrests, simultaneous searches are underway at two separate premises linked to each accused to ascertain any disproportionate assets or further evidence.
The case has been registered under Berhampur Vigilance PS Case No. 5/2025, invoking Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is in progress.
A detailed report is awaited.
