Odisha IAS officer bribe case: Vigilance conducting searches at 11 locations

The Vigilance Department has conducted searches at 11 locations in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Balasore to trace out incriminating documents and disproportionate assets in connection with a case pertaining to demanding and accepting bribe by IAS official Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, director Horticulture Odisha.

"More than 100 vigilance officers and other officials have been deployed for the operations and are conducting searches at 11 locations. Teams consisting of Chartered Accountant, bank officers and officers of Cyber cell are assisting in the investigation," read the press release from Office of Director Vigilance Cuttack.

"Simultaneous searches are being conducted at the office, residential house, house of relatives, of Dr Upadhyaya and Santosh Pattnayak and other suspect officials of Directorate of Horticulture located at different places in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Balasore to trace out incriminating documents and possession of disproportionate assets," it read.

The bureaucrat, Binay Ketan Upadhyay, was serving as the Director of Odisha's Horticulture Department.

A complaint was filed against the officer, following which the state vigilance department carried out an investigation and arrested Upadhyay for allegedly taking a bribe to pass bills of the Horticulture Department of the Odisha government.

The state government has placed Upadhyay under suspension after he was arrested for allegedly taking bribes.

"For approving the bills for payment to SRM Plastochem Pvt Ltd Dr Bijay Ketan Updhayay, Director Horticulture has demanded part of payment amount as bribe from the complainant, the authorised representative of SRM Plastochem Pvt. Ltd after the payment was credited to the account of the company and had directed him to pay the bribe amount to Santosh Kumar Pattanayak, relationship Manager Yes bank, Bhubaneswar who has been receiving bribes from different companies, dealers and suppliers on behalf of Updhayaya," it read.

"On Monday as the trap was laid and Pattnayak was caught red-handed by the vigilance officers of Cell division, Cuttack, after receipt of bribe of Rupees one lakh from complainant on behalf of Updhayay in front of Yes Bank Bhubaneswar," it elaborated.

"The bribe amount as being paid against the payment of over Rs 50 lakhs released to the company account of the complainant. The bribe money has been recovered from the pant pocket of Pattnayak and seized in presence of the witness," it read.

After getting the information (complaint against him) through State Government's 'Mo Sarkar' feedback system, the vigilance department trapped Upadhyay.Odisha government had recently launched 'Mo Sarkar', a feedback-based governance initiative to make system people-centric. After his arrest, his house was also searched.Upadhyay is a 2009 batch IAS officer.