Athamallik (Angul): On charges of demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹6,000 for demarcation of land plots, the Odisha Vigilance on Thursday apprehended a Revenue Inspector (RI).

The accused, Surendra Kumar Dash, Revenue Inspector of Tusar RI Circle under Athamallik Tahasil, was caught while receiving ₹6,000, the final instalment of an overall bribe demand of ₹10,000, from a landowner.

According to Vigilance sources, the complainant had applied for demarcation of his plots on November 24, 2025. When he approached the RI on January 5, 2026 to enquire about the status of his application, Dash allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹10,000 to initiate the process and pass orders for demarcation. The RI reportedly accepted ₹2,000 as the first instalment on the same day and asked the landowner to pay the remaining ₹8,000 on January 8.

When the landowner expressed his inability to pay the remaining amount, the accused allegedly reduced the demand to ₹6,000 after negotiation. Finding no alternative, the complainant approached the Odisha Vigilance and reported the matter.

Acting on the complaint, Vigilance officials laid a trap. While accepting the remaining bribe amount of ₹6,000 at the RI office campus in Kiakata, Dash noticed the Vigilance team and allegedly threw the money out of a restroom window. The entire bribe amount was subsequently recovered and seized from his possession.

Following the operation, the Cuttack Vigilance Police Station registered Case No. 01 dated January 8, 2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 against the accused.

Simultaneous searches are being conducted at three locations linked to Dash to ascertain whether he has accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, Vigilance sources said.