Assistant sub-inspector arrested in Odisha's Kalahandi for accepting Rs 50,000 bribe

Kalahandi (Odisha) [India], June 8 (ANI): Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sumeswar Bag of Thuamula Rampur police station in Kalahandi has been arrested and sent to jail for allegedly taking bribe of Rs 50,000 to settle a dispute.
Bag was nabbed by the vigilance sleuths while he was allegedly receiving the money from a person.
"Complainant Pabitra Nayak's father Dhanumani Nayak of Maligaon died in lightning. The government gave a compensation of Rs 4 lakhs rupees. There was a family dispute regarding the compensation money and an FIR was registered based on the complaint," Sashi Sekhar Mohapatra, SP Vigilance told reporters here.
"ASI Someswar Bag demanded Rs 50,000 and received it through Home Guard Raghumani Nayak to resolve the issue, not to registered the case and to release the bike of the complainant. He has been arrested," he said.
Pabitra Nayak - a resident of Maligaon village under Kashipur police station in Rayagada district had complained that Bag was demanding bribe from him to influence a case.
Pabitra's father had died of lightning strike back in December 2019. The state government had given Rs 4 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased.
However, the deceased had three wives, two from Kalahandi district and one from Rayagada district.
Out of the three wives, first and third wives distributed all the compensation money among themselves, without giving the second wife her share. As a result, the second wife lodged an FIR at the Thuamula Rampur police station against the two.
Notably, Pabitra is the son of the deceased third wife who resides in Rayagada.
Based on the FIR, Bag called Pabitra to the police station and allegedly asked him to pay Rs 50,000 bribe failing which he warned of arresting the man on charges of fraud. Bag also allegedly kept Pabitra's two-wheeler in the police station.
Finding no option, Pabitra took the help of Bhawanipatna vigilance department in Kalahandi district and lodged a report.
Based on the allegations, DSP Satyaban Mahananda and other officers of the department planned a trap during which Bag was nabbed by the officers while he was allegedly taking the bribe.
The officers also arrested the Home Guard of the police station for his alleged connection with the matter. Both were forwarded to Vigilance judge and sent to jail as their bail was rejected. (ANI)