A headmaster of a government-run high school in Odisha’s Kalahandi district allegedly swallowed the bank deposit counterfoil, the proof of Rs 40,000 bribe which he received from a complainant, after spotting the anti-corruption vigilance sleuths of the state police.
The accused, Drona Kumar Tandi, the headmaster of the Trishakti High School in Makaraguda under the Golamunda Block of the Kalahandi district, was apprehended by the Odisha Vigilance at his office chamber while allegedly accepting a bribe Rs 40,000 through a bank deposit from a contractor. The bribe was purportedly given in exchange for clearing his running bill with regard to the construction of a new school building, the Vigilance said in a statement.
Tandi had asked the complainant to deposit the bribe amount of Rs 40,000 in his bank account. The complainant later handed over the counterfoil of the deposit slip of Rs 40,000 to Tandi. Harassed over extortion tactics, the complainant informed the vigilance sleuths. Accordingly, a trap was laid.
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On spotting the vigilance sleuths, Tandi in a tearing hurry to wipe out the bribe evidence swallowed the deposit slip. Later, on verification of the accused’s cellphone, a text message was found to have been received regarding credit of Rs 40,000 deposited in cash by the complainant, the vigilance sleuths said.
After the successful execution of the trap, simultaneous searches are going on at Tandi’s two other locations of Tandi, focusing on potentially disproportionate assets.
A case under section 7 PC (Amendment) Act, 2018 has been registered against the school headmaster. Further investigation is underway in this regard, the vigilance department added.
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