THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, JUNE 6, 2026

In a major crackdown on corruption, Odisha Vigilance on Saturday apprehended a TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL)  employee while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a farmer for replacing a damaged electric pole in his agricultural land.

The accused, identified as Dharma Niranjan Chaudhury, Line Man-A of Narsinghpur Electrical Section under TPCODL, Cuttack, was caught red-handed while receiving the bribe, which formed part of an overall illegal demand of Rs 25,000 made to the farmer.

According to Vigilance officials, an 11 KV power line passed through the farmer's land, where an electric pole had become damaged and posed a serious safety risk. Concerned about the possibility of an accident, the farmer approached the local electricity office seeking replacement of the damaged pole.

The task was assigned to Chaudhury, who allegedly demanded Rs 25,000 from the farmer for carrying out the work. On June 2, he reportedly replaced the damaged pole and received Rs 8,000 from the farmer through a UPI transaction. Despite completing the replacement work, he allegedly continued to demand the remaining amount and refused to remove the old pole from the farmer's land.

Unable to meet the demand, the farmer expressed his financial constraints. Following negotiations, Chaudhury allegedly reduced the balance bribe amount from Rs 17,000 to Rs 15,000. Frustrated by the continued harassment, the farmer lodged a complaint with Odisha Vigilance.

Acting on the complaint, Vigilance officials laid a trap and apprehended Chaudhury while he was allegedly accepting Rs 15,000 from the complainant. The entire bribe amount was recovered from his exclusive possession and seized in the presence of witnesses.

Following the successful trap operation, Vigilance officials launched searches at a location linked to the accused to investigate possible disproportionate assets.

A case has been registered at Cuttack Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Investigation into the matter is currently underway.

The arrest has once again brought the spotlight on alleged corruption and abuse of official position within essential public utility services, where citizens are often forced to pay illegal gratification for routine works and services.