Bhubaneswar, Dec 20: Additional Tahasildar and in-charge Tahasildar of Binjharpur Tahasil, Pradipta Kumar Sethi, was produced before the court on Saturday after being arrested by Odisha Vigilance for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a landowner. The bribe was reportedly sought in exchange for issuing a favourable demarcation order related to the complainant’s land.

According to Vigilance sources, the trap was laid on Friday following a formal complaint from the aggrieved landowner. Acting on the complaint, Vigilance officials caught Sethi red-handed while he was allegedly accepting the bribe amount. The entire tainted cash of Rs 30,000 was recovered from his possession and seized at the spot in the presence of witnesses.

After the successful trap, Vigilance officers conducted simultaneous searches at locations linked to the accused official. During the searches, cash amounting to Rs 5,06,490 was recovered and seized, raising further suspicion of disproportionate assets.

Subsequently, a case (Cuttack Vigilance PS Case No. 36 dated 19.12.2025) was registered against Sethi under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Vigilance officials said further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the seized cash and to identify any wider irregularities connected to the case.

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