Bhawanipatna: Odisha Vigilance today arrested a senior clerk of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWS and S) Division in Bhawanipatna for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 20,000 to process the pension papers of a retired employee.

The accused, identified as T. Bhenkatagiri Rao, was caught inside his government quarter shortly after he received the bribe amount from the complainant, a retired staffer of the same office.

The complainant had superannuated on March 31, 2024 and had reportedly requested Rao several times to prepare and forward his pension documents. However, Rao allegedly delayed the work and demanded money to move the file.

Accused tries to throw cash out of window

Acting on the complaint, an Odisha Vigilance team laid a trap and apprehended Rao. According to the agency, Rao threw the cash out of the window of his quarter when he spotted the officers, but the entire amount was recovered and seized.

Following the arrest, Vigilance officials launched searches at three locations linked to Rao to examine possible disproportionate assets. A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, at the Koraput Vigilance Police Station. The investigation is underway.