Odisha revenue officer arrested for allegedly accepting railway land compensation bribe
Ajay Kumar Garanaik was apprehended in Angul while allegedly receiving Rs 3.10 lakh to facilitate land compensation payments.
An Odisha state revenue service officer was arrested in Angul on Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe to facilitate land compensation, according to Odisha Vigilance officials reported by Urban Acres.
The accused, 56-year-old land acquisition officer Ajay Kumar Garanaik, allegedly demanded Rs 5.10 lakh from a landowner regarding Rs 84.62 lakh sanctioned for land acquired for the Sambalpur-Talcher railway line doubling project.
Vigilance officials said Garanaik allegedly collected Rs 2 lakh from the complainant on October 27 and pressured him for the rest. He reportedly claimed he was instrumental in securing the compensation and allegedly threatened to obstruct future compensation cases for another parcel of land.
The agency laid a trap and arrested Garanaik on Monday afternoon while he was allegedly accepting the remaining Rs 3.10 lakh at an isolated location. Officials said the alleged bribe money was recovered from his possession.
Vigilance officials stated that searches are being conducted at properties linked to the accused to check for assets disproportionate to his known income. The case will proceed through the vigilance investigation and legal process.