Odisha Vigilance Cracks Down on Corruption: GST Officer and Associates Arrested

On Sunday, Odisha vigilance authorities arrested three individuals, including a commercial tax and GST officer, for bribery, tax evasion, and causing a financial loss of over Rs 5.85 lakh to the government. The scheme involved illegally selling seized goods and misappropriating funds. Further investigations are ongoing.

On Sunday, Odisha vigilance authorities made a significant breakthrough by arresting three individuals, including a commercial tax and GST officer, on charges related to bribery, tax evasion, and causing losses to the government.

Assistant Commissioner Binay Bhusan Tripathy of Jajpur's enforcement unit, alongside private individuals Jyoti Pattnaik and Md Golam Sad, was apprehended for a scandal involving the misappropriation of over Rs 5.85 lakh. In a brazen act in May, Tripathy had seized a vehicle carrying scrap worth Rs 8.89 lakh and demanded a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh to release it. When the bribe was not paid, he unlawfully sold the scrap, realizing a nominal tax, and embezzled the money.

The vigilance probe exposed that Tripathy channeled his ill-gotten gains into various family bank accounts and later converted these into fixed deposits. The Odisha anti-corruption unit has registered a corruption case and is now investigating Tripathy's potential disproportionate assets.

(With inputs from agencies.)