Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police has dismissed Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Rajesh Kullu from service with immediate effect following his arrest by Odisha Vigilance in a bribery case.

Kullu, who was posted at Mancheswar Police Station in Bhubaneswar, was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on June 16. He allegedly demanded and accepted a bribe from an accused person in exchange for returning mobile phones seized during an investigation.

Apart from the dismissal of the ASI, the Commissionerate Police has also initiated action against two Home Guards allegedly linked to the case. Home Guards Jyotiranjan Behera and Abdul Sarfaraj Khan have been served one-month notices for termination of their services from the Home Guards organisation.

According to Vigilance officials, Kullu had accepted Rs 30,000 on June 12 and returned one seized mobile phone. When the complainant later sought the release of another mobile phone, Kullu demanded an additional Rs 20,000.

The ASI instructed the complainant to hand over the money to Home Guard driver Jyotiranjan Behera and collect the mobile phone from him. The complainant subsequently approached Odisha Vigilance and lodged a complaint.

Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap and caught Kullu and Behera red-handed while accepting the Rs 20,000 bribe. The entire amount was recovered and seized during the operation.

Following the arrests, Vigilance officials conducted simultaneous searches at two locations linked to Kullu to investigate possible disproportionate assets. The investigation is continuing.

In a statement, the Commissionerate Police reiterated that corruption and malpractice would not be tolerated within the force and warned that any officer or personnel found involved in such activities would face strict and exemplary action under the law and service rules.