Kendujhar: Odisha Vigilance officials on Friday apprehended a Junior Revenue Assistant (JRA) of Patana Tahasil in Kendujhar district while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 6,000 to process a land mutation file and facilitate issuance of a Record of Rights (RoR).

The accused has been identified as B.H. Umashankar, JRA at the office of the Tahasildar, Patana.

According to Odisha Vigilance, the complainant had applied online on June 3, 2026, for mutation of land in accordance with the rules of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department. When the applicant later enquired about the status of the case, Umashankar demanded Rs 6,000 to process the mutation file and facilitate issuance of the RoR in the name of the applicant and other co-sharers.

The applicant then informed the Vigilance authorities about the matter. Based on the complaint, a trap was laid by the anti-corruption agency.

Vigilance officials caught Umashankar while he was allegedly accepting the Rs 6,000 bribe from the complainant at the garage of the Tahasil office. The entire tainted money was recovered from his possession and seized.

Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being conducted at two locations linked to the accused to ascertain whether he has accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

In connection with the case, Baleshwar Vigilance Police Station Case No. 17/2026 has been registered against Umashankar under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

Further investigation is underway.