Rourkela: Vigilance sleuths Wednesday night arrested Lathikata tehsildar Bijay Kumar Behera and seized suspected ill-gotten money of Rs 5,54,900 from him.
After being tipped off that Behera collected huge sums by way of illegal gratification from stone and sand quarry lessees and was proceeding to Chhatrapur in Ganjam district from Sundargarh district in a private car, a Vigilance team blocked his way. They intercepted him in front of Khusi dhaba on NH 45 at Samiapalli under Pallahara PS in Angul and seized Rs 5,54,900 from his possession.
Behera failed to give a satisfactory reply as to how the money came to him. Behera and his associate Pramod Beuria, who was accompanying him in the vehicle, have been detained for interrogation. Beuria is a retired revenue supervisor.
Subsequently, anti-corruption officials searched the tehsildar’s government quarters, office chamber, residential house at Chhatrapur in Gnajam and his native place at Achyutarajpur in Khorda. Beuria’s residence in Kuanramunda area in Sundargarh district was also searched.
PNN