Vigilance nets engineer days before retirement
Rayagada: In a major anti-corruption operation, Odisha Vigilance officials arrested Prasanna Kumar Pattnaik, Executive Engineer of Rural Works Division-I (RWD-I), Rayagada, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a contractor in exchange for clearing pending bills and issuing a work experience certificate required for participation in government tenders.
According to Vigilance sources, the contractor had completed works worth approximately Rs 50 lakh and had been repeatedly requesting the Executive Engineer to clear the bills and issue a work experience certificate. It is alleged that Pattnaik initially demanded a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh, reportedly calculated as 5 per cent of the bill amount, along with consideration for issuing the certificate and facilitating future contract opportunities. Following negotiations, the amount was allegedly reduced to Rs 2 lakh. Unwilling to comply with the demand, the contractor approached Odisha Vigilance and lodged a formal complaint. Acting on the complaint, Vigilance officials laid a trap and apprehended Pattnaik on Tuesday night while he was allegedly accepting the bribe amount. The entire tainted cash of Rs 2 lakh was recovered from his possession and seized in the presence of witnesses.
Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were conducted at multiple locations linked to the accused, including his government quarters and office chamber in Rayagada, his residence at Nandan Vihar in Bhubaneswar, and his native house in Nayagarh district.
During the searches, Vigilance officials reportedly unearthed an additional Rs 3.39 lakh in cash from his government residence at Rayagada. With this recovery, the total cash seized in connection with the operation has reached Rs 5.39 lakh. Officials said Pattnaik was due to retire from government service on June 30.
A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, at Koraput Vigilance Police Station.
Vigilance authorities stated that the investigation is continuing and that further details regarding the accused’s assets, financial transactions, and any possible irregularities will emerge as the inquiry progresses.