Rupak Kumar Pattnaik (left) at his residence at Uditnagar, Rourkela. Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 9: The Orissa vigilance officials today trapped Panposh sub-collector of Sundergarh district while taking a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a sand contractor.

Sub-collector Rupak Kumar Pattnaik was arrested this evening by the anti-corruption officials while receiving the bribe in his official residence at Udit Nagar in Rourkela.

The vigilance officials said they had received a complaint from Manas Baral of Chhend Colony in Rourkela. who wanted a contract to quarry sand from the Sankh riverbed at Padampur in Kuanramunda block under Panposh sub-division.

The complainant had applied to the local tehsildar, who had forwarded the file to the sub-collector. However, Pattnaik, instead of processing Baral’s file, demanded Rs 10,000 from him following which the latter lodged a written complaint with the Rourkela vigilance police.

Superintendent of police (vigilance), Sambalpur, Manoranjan Panda, said Baral filed a case yesterday following which the team laid a trap to arrest the sub-collector.

“Today at 3.30pm, Pattnaik received the bribe from Baral and our team, which were hiding, caught him red-handed. The chemical test of the currency and Pattnaik’s hand proved his involvement,” said Panda, adding that they had seized the sand contract file from his office.

The vigilance officials said those, who wanted contracts to quarry sand from the riverbed, need to apply through the tehsildar. After the sub-collector gives final approval, the contractor can lift sand. The vigilance officials said their team had been conducting raids at his residence. As the raid was on, the officials could not say anything about his property.

“Pattnaik will be forwarded to court tomorrow,” said Panda.