THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
FEBRUARY 4, 2026
The arrest of a Junior Engineer
of TP Southern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPSODL) has exposed alleged
corruption in the power distribution system after Odisha Vigilance uncovered
suspected disproportionate assets following a bribery trap in Malkangiri.
Pradesh Prasad Nayak, Junior
Engineer at TPSODL, Malkangiri, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly taking
a bribe of ₹20,000 from a bricks factory owner
in exchange for providing
an electricity connection to the unit. The arrest was made after a vigilance
trap operation, officials said.
Following the trap, Vigilance
teams conducted simultaneous searches at locations linked to Nayak and
unearthed several assets suspected to be beyond his known sources of income.
The assets include a double-storey house of around 2,000 square feet in Berhampur,
five high-value plots in and around Bhubaneswar and Berhampur, about 150 grams
of gold, a Maruti Grand Vitara four-wheeler and two motorcycles.
Officials said Nayak joined
government service in September 2004 as a Technician Apprentice under SOUTHCO
with an initial salary of ₹3,000. He later served in
Bhanjanagar, Buguda and Aska before being promoted to Junior Engineer in 2021
and posted to TPSODL, Malkangiri, where he continued till his arrest.
Vigilance authorities confirmed
that Nayak has been formally arrested and is being produced before the Court of
the Special Judge, Vigilance, Jeypore. Meanwhile, a separate investigation into
the disproportionate assets angle has been initiated and remains underway, with
officials examining financial transactions, property acquisitions, and
potential benami investments linked to the accused.
