Odisha Vigilance arrests livestock inspector taking bribe for subsidy release

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Continuing its crackdown on corrupt public servants, the Odisha Vigilance has arrested a Livestock Inspector (LI) in Nabarangpur district for allegedly taking a bribe from a beneficiary under the state government's Mukhyamantri Kamadhenu Yojana.

The accused has been identified as Prafulla Haldar, the Livestock Inspector posted at Raighar under the office of the Nabarangpur Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) Radheshyam Laik, officials said on Friday.

According to Vigilance officials, the complainant had been selected as a beneficiary under the state government's Mukhyamantri Kamadhenu Yojana, a scheme that provides subsidy support to dairy farmers for setting up dairy units with one to five cows.

The officials said Haldar allegedly demanded Rs 80,000 from the beneficiary for releasing the subsidy amount.

He also allegedly threatened to block not only the complainant's subsidy but also those of other beneficiaries from the same village if the bribe was not paid. Finding no other option, the beneficiary approached Odisha Vigilance and lodged a complaint on this issue.

Based on the complaint, the Vigilance officials laid a trap on Friday, in which the accused Haldar was caught while allegedly accepting the bribe amount from the complainant.

The entire bribe amount of Rs 80,000 was recovered from his possession and seized in the presence of witnesses. According to Vigilance, chemical tests conducted on the wash of both hands of the accused gave positive results, confirming that he had handled the tainted currency notes.

Following the trap, Vigilance teams launched simultaneous searches at Haldar's office chamber and his residence at Raighar. During the search of his house, officials recovered and seized cash amounting to Rs 8.24 lakh.

The source of the cash is being verified as part of the investigation. Odisha Vigilance said further investigation is underway. A case has been registered against the accused under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and he is expected to be produced before the competent court after completion of the required formalities.

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