Bhubaneswar, Nov 6: Odisha Vigilance on Friday apprehended the Sub-Registrar of Baliapal in Baleswar district while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 7,000 from a complainant for registration of a land sale deed.

The accused has been identified as Manisha Mishra, an Odisha Revenue Service (ORS) officer who joined government service in 2024 and is currently undergoing probation.

According to Vigilance officials, Mishra had allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 from a land buyer for registering a sale deed involving 0.14 decimal of land recorded as ‘Bajyapti Stithiban’.

As per the guidelines of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, such land is required to be treated as ‘Stithiban’ and is eligible for registration. However, despite repeated requests by the complainant citing the government guidelines, the officer allegedly refused to process the registration and insisted on payment of a bribe.

When the complainant expressed inability to pay the demanded amount, Mishra allegedly reduced the bribe to Rs 7,000. Subsequently, the aggrieved person approached Odisha Vigilance.

Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team laid a trap and caught her red-handed while allegedly demanding and accepting the money. The entire tainted amount was recovered and seized.

Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were launched at two locations linked to the officer to investigate possible disproportionate assets. A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is underway.

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