Bhubaneswar, March 28: Manas Ranjan Behera, serving as the Chief Tax Officer (CTO) and Goods and Services Tax (GST) Officer in the Enforcement Unit of Puri, was apprehended by Odisha Vigilance in front of Zilla School, Puri on Thursday. 

The arrest was made while he was demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 30,000 from a complainant, who was the owner of a detained vehicle. The complainant had already paid a GST penalty of Rs. 79,200 on March 19, 2024, as per government regulations. 

However, Behera refused to release the vehicle without an additional bribe of Rs. 30,000. Faced with no other recourse, the complainant reported the harassment to the Vigilance Authority, leading to Behera's apprehension while accepting the bribe. The entire sum of Rs. 30,000 was recovered from Behera's possession and seized.

Following the successful operation, simultaneous searches are being conducted at three locations associated with Behera from the angle of disproportionate assets (DA).

A Vigilance Cell PS Case No.4/2024 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, has been registered in connection with the incident. The investigation into the accused, Behera, is ongoing.

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