Phulnakhara Dy Forest Ranger Caught Red-Handed While Taking Bribe of ₹ 1L

Advertisement

Cuttack: The Odisha Vigilance Department on Thursday have caught Deputy Ranger Mousumi Behera while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh for clearing pending bills related to plantation maintenance under the Phulnakhara Range in Khordha district.

As per Vigilance release, Behera was demanding a bribe of Rs 1,00,000 from a staffer of Phulnakhara Range in lieu of releasing bills towards maintenance of three plantation sites. The maintenance included watch and ward, watering, and fertiliser work for the period from July to September, 2026.

She had allegedly threatened the staffer that if the demanded bribe was not paid, she would not release the bills for the upcoming months as well. Unable to meet the demand, the aggrieved staffer reported the matter to the Vigilance authorities.

Advertisement

Acting on the complaint, a team of Vigilance laid a trap and nabbed Behera while she was taking the bribe amount of Rs 1 lakh from the complainant. The entire tainted bribe money of Rs 1 lakh has been recovered from her possession and seized.

Following the trap, simultaneous searches are underway at two locations linked to Behera from a Disproportionate Assets (DA) angle.

In this connection, Vigilance Cell P.S Case No. 09 dated 28.10.2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 has been registered. Investigation is in progress.

Also Read: Vigilance Raid Against AEE Pramod Ray: Rs 4.48 Lakh Cash, Multi Storeyed Buildings And Many More…

Advertisement