Sonepur: Vigilance sleuths Friday arrested Subarnapur Assistant Director of Textiles (ADT) and in-charge Deputy Director of Handlooms Satyananda Behera, along with Primary Weavers’ Co-operative Society (PWCS) secretary Ramakanta Meher, for allegedly taking a bribe to release stipends meant for trainee weavers.
Vigilance officials said Behera had demanded Rs 80,000 for the one-time release of stipends under the state government’s Handloom Promotion Scheme. Meher was acting as an intermediary. A trap was laid at Nimna village, where Meher was caught accepting Rs 36,000 in chemically treated notes from trainees. He was arrested on the spot, and Behera was later detained in Subarnapur.
Following the arrests, Vigilance teams searched Behera’s office, residence, and ancestral house in Nayagarh. Three teams from the Subarnapur and Sambalpur units took part, and a case (25/25) was registered at the Sambalpur Vigilance police station. The investigation is underway.
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