Odisha Vigilance Department on Sunday arrested a woman sarpanch for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a Self-Help Group (SHG) functionary in exchange for signing official documents, officials said.
The accused, serving as the sarpanch of Nimna Gram Panchayat under the Ullunda block in Sonepur district, was caught red-handed while pocketing the cash to sign the agreement papers that would allow the SHG to secure a financial subsidy from the district fisheries office, the anti-corruption agency stated.
Following the trap, a formal case has been registered at the Sambalpur Vigilance Police Station under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and a detailed investigation into the matter is currently underway, officials added.
