Two Puri Revenue Officers Nabbed for Accepting Bribe

Bhūbana­shwar – On Monday the Odisha Vigilance Directorate pulled a sting operation that ended with the arrest of two revenue officers from Puri district. The men, Revenue Inspector Kalyani Jena and Assistant Revenue Inspector Purna Chandra Behera, were caught allegedly demanding and taking Rs 35,000 from a farmer who had applied to convert his agricultural plot into a homestead.

The applicant had followed the normal procedure laid down by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, filing a mutation request for land‑use change. When he visited the Siula Revenue Inspector circle in Pipili Tahasil to ask about the status, the two officials supposedly told him the paperwork could only move forward if he paid the extra cash.

“I was told to hand over the money before they would even look at my file,” the complainant later told the investigators. Despite his repeated pleas to waive the demand, Jena and Behera reportedly pressed on, leaving the farmer with little choice but to lodge a formal complaint with Vigilance.

Acting on the tip, a vigilance team set up a covert trap. On the day of the operation the officials met the complainant at the office, accepted the Rs 35,000, and were immediately taken into custody. The entire amount was seized and the money is being held as evidence.

In the aftermath, search teams swept through the officers’ workplace and their residences in Brāmhakumdi (Charichhak), Achyutapur (Chandanpur) and even a flat in Rasulgarh, Bhūbana­shwar, looking for undisclosed wealth. The case, logged as Bhūbana­shwar Vigilance Police Station Case No. 20 on September 5, 2026, is being pursued under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

While the investigation is still underway, officials say they will also probe any disproportionate assets the two officers might hold. A detailed report is expected soon.