SI at Jatni police station held for bribery

BHUBANESWAR: A Sub-Inspector (SI) of Jatni Police Station was caught taking a bribe of Rs. 2,500 by a Vigilance team on Monday afternoon. The police officer, Naba Kishore Mohapatra, along with two others, has been nabbed.The Vigilance sleuths who searched Mohapatra’s residence reportedly found close to Rs. 5 lakh hard cash stashed at different places.The case came to light after a mini truck was detained by Mohapatra at Jatni while the vehicle driver was trying to pass through a no-entry zone on Saturday evening. While the truck owner was initially told to pay a fine, Mohapatra allegedly demanded a bribe to let him off.Since the vehicle was detained, the owner agreed to pay. Mohapatra allegedly imposed a fine of Rs. 500 on the complainant and demanded Rs. 2,500. He asked the truck owner to hand over the cash to a local laundry owner who was to transfer it to a home guard who in turn would have passed the bribe to Mohapatra.With a complaint lodged with the Vigilance, the complainant did exactly what the SI had wanted. The cash changed hands and reached Mohapatra when the sleuths raided him. The tainted cash was recovered and hands of all the three persons were examined for the chemical reaction which came positive. Later, a team raided Mohapatra’s residence where over Rs. 5 lakh in cash was recovered. The SI, the home guard and the laundry man have been held.