ARI Arrested in Kendrapara for Accepting ₹12,000 Bribe for Land Conversion Report

Kendrapara: Odisha Vigilance officials on Tuesday apprehended an Assistant Revenue Inspector (ARI) after he was allegedly caught taking a bribe to issue a favourable land conversion report. The accused, identified as Abhimanyu Behera of the Nikirei RI Circle, was trapped and arrested while accepting ₹12,000 from a landowner at his office.

According to Vigilance sources, the complainant had applied online on October 31, 2025, to convert his agricultural land into homestead land before the Tahsildar of Derabish. After initial scrutiny, he was directed to appear before the ARI-cum-In-Charge RI of Nikirei for further enquiry. During the interaction, Behera allegedly demanded ₹15,000 for issuing a positive verification report. When the landowner said he was unable to pay the full amount, the demand was reduced to ₹12,000, which the ARI insisted on as a condition to clear the file.

Left with no option, the landowner approached the Vigilance Department, leading to the trap. Officials caught Behera red-handed while accepting the reduced bribe amount. The entire ₹12,000 was recovered from his possession and seized as evidence. Following the arrest, Vigilance teams conducted simultaneous searches at two locations linked to the accused to probe possible possession of disproportionate assets.

The Cuttack Vigilance Police Station has registered Case No. 33/2024 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is underway.