RWSS senior clerk arrested while taking Rs 20,000 bribe

Koraput: Vigilance sleuths on Thursday arrested T Bhenkatagiri Rao, a senior clerk of the rural water supply and sanitation (RWSS) division in Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi district, was caught red-handed at his official residence while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a retired staffer for processing his pension papers.The complainant retired on March 31, 2024, and had been repeatedly requesting the accused to process his pension papers. However, instead of doing so, Rao insisted that he pay Rs 20,000 as bribe to move the file, said SP (vigilance), Koraput range, Rabindra Kumar Panda. Aggrieved by the demand, the retired employee reported the matter to the vigilance following which a trap was laid. When our team arrived, the accused threw the bribe money through the window of his quarter.

The entire amount was seized, the SP said.Following the trap, simultaneous searches are being carried out at three locations linked to Rao. Details are awaited, according to vigilance sources.