Khariar Kendu Leaf division Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Laxmikant Mishra was arrested by the Vigilance police while accepting bribe on Saturday night.
The Vigilance sleuths caught Mishra red-handed while he was taking bribe of Rs 2.20 lakh from Ranger Parshuram Patel for the bills for clearing quarters and construction of a kendu leaf storage building. During a raid, the Vigilance officials seized cash of Rs 2.20 lakh from Mishra and Rs 10 lakh from his Government quarters, said Bhawanipatna Vigilance DSP Satyaban Mahananda.
According to reports, the Vigilance had laid the trap to nab Mishra red-handed following complaint by Patel, who was asked by the DFO to pay the bribe.
Following his arrest, Mishra was forwarded to the territorial Vigilance Court on Sunday morning.