Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance today arrested OFS officer Sarita Barik, serving as Assistant Commissioner of State Tax, Bhubaneswar-IV Circle, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹25,000 from a bakery firm.
Barik had reportedly issued a show-cause notice to the complainant, directing him to pay ₹2,27,147 towards reversal of Input Tax Credit (ITC) for the financial year 2020-21, along with fine and penalty. When the complainant sought relaxation, she allegedly demanded a bribe to waive the penalty.
Acting on the complaint, the Vigilance set a trap and caught Barik red-handed inside her car near Aakash Institute, Madhusudan Nagar, while accepting the bribe money.
Following her arrest, the Vigilance carried out simultaneous searches at three locations linked to her. Officials said raids at her rented residence in Bhubaneswar continued till early Wednesday morning, leading to the recovery of ₹1.45 lakh in cash, 222 grams of gold ornaments, bank deposits worth around ₹60 lakh, jewellery bills, and documents related to property purchases in Bhubaneswar.
Barik was arrested and will be produced before the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Court later today.
A case has been registered at the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station (Case No. 18 dated 26.08.2025) under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. The investigation into her alleged disproportionate assets is still underway.