ITI principal caught while taking bribe

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance officials seized Rs 5.16 lakh in cash in Rourkela during searches at the flat of Suresh Kumar Dalabehera, principal of Government ITI, Balangir, officials said on Saturday. Dalabehera was earlier caught by the Vigilance team while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from the guest instructors.

He had demanded the money in exchange for facilitating the continuation of their services and ensuring the regular disbursement of their salaries, according to Odisha Vigilance. Following the trap operation, Vigilance officials initiated searches at several locations linked to the accused.

During the course of the ongoing searches, the officials recovered an additional Rs 5.16 lakh in cash from Dalabehera’s residential flat in Rourkela and subsequently seized the amount. The Vigilance officials are continuing their investigation into the case.

The principal had allegedly demanded a total bribe of Rs 1.15 lakh from nine instructors for the regular release of their salaries and threatened to disengage them if they failed to pay, officials said. Following a complaint by the guest instructors, the Vigilance sleuths caught the principal while he was accepting Rs 30,000 as the first instalment of the demanded amount. A case has been registered against the principal at the Sambalpur Vigilance police station.