Kendrapara Tahsildar Arrested for Taking ₹20,000 Bribe

Cuttack: Odisha Vigilance officials on Tuesday arrested OAS officer Siba Mallick, Tahsildar of Mahakalapada in Kendrapara district, while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹20,000.

According to Vigilance sources, Mallick had demanded the money from a complainant to facilitate eviction of an illegal structure on government land that was blocking access to the complainant’s house.

The complainant had lodged an encroachment case in 2024, following which the Revenue Inspector confirmed in April 2024 that miscreants had forcibly encroached on the land. Despite repeated requests, Mallick allegedly insisted on the bribe, warning that the case would otherwise remain pending for years.

Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance team caught the Tahsildar red-handed inside his office rest room while receiving the bribe. The entire amount was recovered and seized from his possession.

Simultaneous searches are being conducted at six locations linked to Mallick to verify possible disproportionate assets.

In this connection, Cuttack Vigilance PS Case No. 29/2025 has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is underway.