The Odisha Vigilance on Wednesday apprehended Umakanta Mahakur, Assistant CT & GST Officer of Titlagarh in Bolangir district, while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 12,000 from a local businessman.
According to Vigilance officials, the complainant had failed to pay professional tax for three consecutive financial years, amounting to Rs 7,500 (Rs 2,500 per year). Subsequently, the accused officer issued a notice to deposit Rs 23,600, which included the tax amount along with fine and interest.
When the businessman approached Mahakur to request that only the tax amount be accepted, the officer allegedly demanded Rs 12,000 as a bribe to waive off the fine and interest component. Unwilling to comply with the illegal demand, the businessman lodged a formal complaint with the Odisha Vigilance.
Acting swiftly on the complaint, the Vigilance team laid a trap and caught Mahakur red-handed while accepting the bribe money. The entire tainted amount of Rs 12,000 was recovered from his possession and seized in the presence of witnesses.
Following the successful trap, simultaneous searches were conducted at multiple locations linked to the accused to investigate disproportionate assets (DA).
A case has been registered under Sambalpur Vigilance Police Station Case No. 21/2025, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation into the matter is currently underway.
The Odisha Vigilance continues to intensify its anti-corruption drive to ensure transparency and accountability in public offices across the state.
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