Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance has arrested a woman official in Kalahandi district on charges of taking Rs 35,000 as bribe from a beneficiary of the MGNREGA scheme.

Priyanka Jena, the MGNREGA Assistant at the office of Project Director (PD), Watershed, at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi, had sought Rs 35,000 as bribe from the beneficiary to release Rs 2.68 lakh towards a farm pond under the scheme.

Jena had allegedly refused to clear the bill if the MGNREGA beneficiary did not pay the bribe amount.

The beneficiary had lodged a complaint in this regard with the Odisha Vigilance.

Subsequently, a trap was laid and the woman officer was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe amount. The entire bribe money was recovered from the official and seized, said the Vigilance Department.

Following the trap, simultaneous searches are going at two locations linked to Jena to unearth any disproportionate assets (DA) accumulated by her.

The Vigilance police at Koraput has registered a case against Jena under various Sections of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act-2018. Further investigation in this regard is underway, added the Vigilance Department.