Bhubaneswar: In a series of operations across Sambalpur, Nayagarh and Mayurbhanj districts, Odisha Vigilance on Friday arrested three government officials, including an OAS officer, on charges of bribery and corruption.

The arrested officials are:

Ashwini Kumar Panda, OAS, Tahasildar of Bamra (Sambalpur) – caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 for conversion of agricultural land to homestead land in a mutation case. The bribe was taken through his driver P. Praveen Kumar, who has also been taken into custody. Vigilance has seized the entire bribe amount.

Chittaranjan Rout, District Labour Officer (DLO), Nayagarh – arrested while taking a bribe of Rs 6,000 from a labourer for issuing labour cards to him and 19 others. Reports say the cards were delayed for nearly a year as the official insisted on payment.

Puspita Mahakud, former Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO) of Luhasila GP under Bijatola Block, Mayurbhanj – nabbed for alleged embezzlement of Rs 5.68 lakh meant for Old Age Pension beneficiaries. She is currently posted at the Sub-Collector’s office in Rairangpur.

Simultaneous searches are being carried out at multiple locations linked to Panda and Rout from a disproportionate assets (DA) angle.

Vigilance cases have been registered against Panda and Rout under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.