Phulnakhara Forest Officer Booked After Vigilance Seizes ₹1 Lakh Tainted Cash
Bhubaneswar, Oct 29: Odisha Vigilance on Thursday apprehended a Deputy Forest Ranger of the Phulnakhara Range in Bhubaneswar while allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh from a staff member for releasing pending maintenance bills.
The accused has been identified as Mousumi Behera, Deputy Ranger of Phulnakhara under the City Forest Division, Bhubaneswar.
According to Vigilance officials, Behera allegedly demanded ₹1 lakh from a staffer in exchange for clearing bills related to the maintenance of three plantation sites.
The works reportedly included watch and ward, watering, and fertiliser application carried out between July and September 2026.
Officials stated that the Deputy Ranger had allegedly threatened not to release future bills if the bribe demand was not met.
Finding no alternative, the aggrieved staffer approached the Odisha Vigilance and lodged a complaint.
Acting on the complaint, Vigilance officials laid a trap and caught Behera red-handed while allegedly accepting the bribe amount.
The entire tainted cash of ₹1 lakh was recovered from her possession and subsequently seized as evidence.
Following the successful trap operation, simultaneous searches were launched at two locations linked to the accused to probe possible disproportionate assets.
Vigilance authorities have registered a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and further investigation is underway.
