Bribe Scandal: Junior Clerk Caught with Rs 20,000 in Khandagiri’s Sub-Registrar Office |
Bhubaneswar: Vigilance sleuths on Monday arrested Debajani Kar, a junior clerk in the office of the sub-registrar at Khandagiri, for allegedly taking Rs 20,000 as bribe from a man to execute his land’s registration.
Subsequent searches at the office of the sub-registrar led to the recovery of Rs 15 lakh cash from a cupboard.
“We received complaints of rampant corruption in the registration of land sale deeds in the sub-registrar’s office. A complainant approached us alleging that the junior clerk was demanding a bribe to execute the registration of his plot’s sale deed. We laid a trap and arrested her with the bribe amount,” a senior vigilance officer said.
Simultaneous searches were carried out at two locations linked to Kar to ascertain whether she amassed any disproportionate assets. “We seized Rs 15 lakh cash from the sub-registrar’s office. We strongly suspect that the money was collected as a bribe by some staff of the sub-registrar office. Inspector general of registration has been sent to the spot to assist in verification as we suspect foul play in the source of the cash,” the vigilance officer said.
Denying any illicit transactions, staff at the sub-registrar’s office told the vigilance officials that the money was officially collected through cash from some landowners for registration of their sale deeds. “We have come to know that cash transactions are permitted only where the land registration value is up to Rs 15,000. We verified the records and learnt that the office should have collected a maximum of Rs 1.4 lakh in cash towards land registration fees on Monday. Recovery of Rs 15 lakh cash clearly indicated that the money was earned through illegal means,” the vigilance officer said.
Subsequent searches at the office of the sub-registrar led to the recovery of Rs 15 lakh cash from a cupboard.
“We received complaints of rampant corruption in the registration of land sale deeds in the sub-registrar’s office. A complainant approached us alleging that the junior clerk was demanding a bribe to execute the registration of his plot’s sale deed. We laid a trap and arrested her with the bribe amount,” a senior vigilance officer said.
Simultaneous searches were carried out at two locations linked to Kar to ascertain whether she amassed any disproportionate assets. “We seized Rs 15 lakh cash from the sub-registrar’s office. We strongly suspect that the money was collected as a bribe by some staff of the sub-registrar office. Inspector general of registration has been sent to the spot to assist in verification as we suspect foul play in the source of the cash,” the vigilance officer said.
Denying any illicit transactions, staff at the sub-registrar’s office told the vigilance officials that the money was officially collected through cash from some landowners for registration of their sale deeds. “We have come to know that cash transactions are permitted only where the land registration value is up to Rs 15,000. We verified the records and learnt that the office should have collected a maximum of Rs 1.4 lakh in cash towards land registration fees on Monday. Recovery of Rs 15 lakh cash clearly indicated that the money was earned through illegal means,” the vigilance officer said.
