Odisha: Pharmacy council employee, associate arrested in bribery case

Bhubaneswar, June 9 (IANS) Odisha Vigilance on Tuesday arrested an employee of the Odisha Pharmacy Council (OPC), Bhubaneswar, and his associate for allegedly accepting a bribe from a person to verify documents required for the issuance of a Pharmacy Registration Certificate.

The accused were identified as Biswamohan Pattnaik alias Raja, posted as a Senior Assistant at the OPC, Bhubaneswar, and Md. Izaz Khan, alias Prusty, a private individual and associate of Pattnaik.

On Tuesday, Pattnaik was apprehended along with his associate Khan for taking a bribe of Rs 9,000 from an applicant through Khan to verify documents to facilitate the grant of a Pharmacy Registration Certificate, said a senior vigilance official.

“For about a week, the applicant had been requesting that the accused Pattnaik take steps regarding the issue of the Pharmacy Registration Certificate. But Pattnaik demanded a bribe of Rs 9,000 for doing the needful. Today, when the applicant approached Pattnaik in front of the Odisha Pharmacy Council Office, Bhubaneswar, he repeated his bribe demand and directed him to hand over the bribe money to his associate Khan,” the vigilance official added.

Finding no other option, the complainant later reported the matter to the vigilance authorities seeking action against the accused persons.

Acting on the complaint, the anti-corruption sleuths laid a trap on Tuesday and caught Pattnaik and Khan while taking the bribe of Rs 9,000 from an applicant.

The entire bribe money was recovered and seized from both the accused persons in the presence of witnesses.

Following the trap, simultaneous searches were launched at Pattnaik’s residential house in Adimata Colony, Bhubaneswar, and at his office. Both accused persons were subsequently arrested and forwarded to the Court.

A case (9/26) has been registered at the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.

–IANS

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