Balangir: Forester Nabbed for Taking Bribe from Farmer

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance sleuths arrested Ashok Kumar Nayak, a Forester posted in the Gulumi Section under Muribahal Range in Balangir district, for allegedly accepting a ₹10,000 bribe from a local farmer.

The incident stems from a complaint filed by the farmer, who had felled a Teak and a Sal tree on his private land without obtaining prior permission from the forest department. When he approached Nayak for approval to transport the wooden logs, the forester reportedly imposed a legitimate fine of ₹2,000 as per government regulations but additionally demanded an illegal bribe of ₹10,000 to grant the permission.

Nayak allegedly threatened to block the transportation and initiate further action if the bribe was not paid. Harassed by the demands, the farmer alerted the Vigilance authorities.

Acting promptly, a team from the anti-corruption wing laid a trap and caught Nayak red-handed while he accepted the bribe amount along with the fine, totaling ₹12,000.

Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were conducted at two locations linked to Nayak to probe potential disproportionate assets (DA). A case has been registered against him at Sambalpur Vigilance Police Station (Case No. 01/2026) under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.