Bolangir: Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Patnagarh Kendu Leaves Division Pranab Kumar Mohanty was on Wednesday arrested by Vigilance sleuths while he was accepting percentage commission amounting to Rs 1.66 lakh.
The DFO was accepting the bribe from a departmental forest range officer to clear a bill for renovation of a Kendu leaves collection centre.
As per the complainant, Rs 10.37 lakh was sanctioned for renovation of a Kendu leaves collection centre. The DFO had demanded Rs 1.66 lakh as PC. The forest range officer brought the matter to the notice of Vigilance. The anti-graft officials later laid a trap and caught the DFO red-handed. After recovering the bribe money, the anti-graft officials conducted raid on the office and residence of the DFO in this connection.
Sources said the DFO was under the Vigilance scanner since long. A special team was formed to nab him red-handed.
