Sambalpur: A police sub-inspector was arrested by Odisha Vigilance officials Wednesday after allegedly accepting a RS 10,000 bribe to settle a case, officials said, during a planned anti-corruption operation.
Sujit Kumar Mahanta, posted at Mahulpali police station in Sambalpur district in western Odisha, allegedly demanded the money from a complainant to resolve a case registered against him.
When the complainant said he could not pay, the officer allegedly threatened him, prompting him to approach the Vigilance Department.
Officials said they laid a trap and provided the complainant with Rs 10,000, treated with a chemical substance.
Mahanta asked him to hand over the money at an isolated spot beside a pond outside the police station on Wednesday evening.
After accepting the cash, Mahanta spotted the waiting Vigilance team and tried to escape by jumping into the pond.
The officials also entered the water and caught him, recovering the entire bribe amount, the department said.
The team later searched Mahulpali police station and the officer’s restroom, where it seized an additional Rs 155,700 in cash.
A case (21/2026 ) has been registered at Sambalpur Vigilance police station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act.
Further investigation is under way, including an examination of Mahanta’s assets and suspected assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Mahanta was directly recruited as a police sub-inspector in the 2021 batch, according to the information provided by officials.