CTO & GST officer under Vigilance scanner for accepting bribe in Odisha’s Puri

Puri: A team of Vigilance sleuths caught a Commercial Tax and Goods and Services Tax (GST) officer red-handed today while he was accepting a bribe in Puri district.

The CTO and GST official, identified as Manas Ranjan Behera, presently works in the Enforcement Unit.

Behera was apprehended by Odisha Vigilance in front of the Zilla School in Puri while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a complainant (vehicle owner) to release his detained vehicle.

The complainant had paid a GST penalty amount of Rs 79,200 on March 19, as per the Government provisions. However, the accused Behera did not release his detained vehicle and demanded a bribe.

Finding no other way, the vehicle owner narrated his harassment before the Vigilance.

Accordingly, a trap was laid and the Vigilance officials nabbed Behera while accepting the bribe. The entire amount has been recovered from the possession of the CTO and GST official and later seized.

Following the trap, simultaneous searches are underway at three different locations associated with Behera from disproportionate assets (DA) angle, a senior Vigilance official in the team said.

A Vigilance PS case [No-4/2024, U/s 7PC (Amendment) Act, 2018] has been registered in this connection. A detailed probe against accused Behera is on, the official source added.