ABEO, junior clerk in Vigilance net for bribery

JAJPUR: Vigilance officials on Tuesday caught the assistant block education officer (ABEO) and a junior clerk of Badachana red-handed while accepting Rs 30,000 bribe from a teacher to release his arrears.

The accused ABEO was identified as Amiya Kumar Dash and the junior clerk is Sudhansu Sekhar Nayak. Vigilance sources said Dash and Nayak had demanded `30,000 from Satyabrata Puhan, an assistant teacher in Khadagpur primary school of Badachana block, to release his arrears which were pending since long.

Puhan then approached the Vigilance officials of Cuttack division and filed a complaint in this regard. Basing on the complaint, the anti-corruption agency laid a trap and caught both of the accused red-handed when they were accepting the bribe in their office chamber. The entire bribe money has been recovered from Dash.

On the day, Vigilance officials also conducted simultaneous searches at the paternal house of Dash in Kadei Sashan village within Badachana police limits and his flat at BJB Nagar in Bhubaneswar besides the residence of Nayak at Sukhadeipur. A case was registered against the accused duo under Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 and investigation is underway.