Sambalpur: Vigilance officials Friday arrested assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Majhipali police station on the charge of receiving a bribe from a person to settle a case.
The accused was identified as ASI Shatrughna Pradhan (56). Vigilance officials registered a case. Pradhan would be produced in court Saturday.
Vigilance officials said a complaint was lodged against Santosh Thakur of Talaba village for his alleged involvement in a scuffle with a co-villager April 23. ASI Pradhan called Thakur and the complainant to the police outpost and solved the matter amicably. He later asked Thakur to pay Rs 5,000, failing which he would be arrested, Pradhan said.
As Thakur expressed his inability to pay the sum, the ASI threatened to arrest him.
Later, Thakur negotiated the sum at Rs 3500 and sought some time to arrange for the money. However, he failed to arrange the sum. Despite several intimations from the ASI through a village guard, Thakur did not meet the ASI.
Later, the ASI threatened to arrest Thakur, following which, he met him and sought some more time to arrange the money.
Failing to arrange the sum again, Thakur lodged a written complaint with Sambalpur Vigilance superintendent of police Jayanarayan Pankaj.
As per a plan, Vigilance sleuths conducted a raid and arrested Thakur and seized the money from him.
The raiding team included Sambalpur deputy superintendent of police RK Pradhan and inspector AK Pradhan. PNN
