Jajpur: In a major crackdown, the Vigilance Department on Monday evening arrested Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Nandakishore Das of Jajpur Town Police Station while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 to settle a long-pending land dispute case. Vigilance officers seized the bribe money and detained the ASI for questioning at their office. According to reports, a land dispute between two brothers Rasananda Sahu and his younger brother Dolagobinda Sahu of Jajpur Badabazar—had been ongoing since 2015. The matter had reached the Orissa High Court, where after nearly ten years of litigation, the judgment was delivered in favour of the younger brother, Dolagobinda. Following the verdict, Dolagobinda applied before the Sub-Collector for demarcation of the disputed land. Meanwhile, the elder brother, Rasananda, again approached the High Court seeking a review of the judgment. The High Court subsequently directed the Jajpur Tahasildar to carry out the demarcation. However, during the demarcation process, tensions escalated between the two brothers, forcing authorities to halt the procedure. A case was later registered at Jajpur Town Police Station under Case No. 523/25, and ASI Das was assigned to investigate the matter. During the investigation, ASI Das allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹10,000 from Dolagobinda to “help him” in the case. Unable to pay the amount, Dolagobinda approached the Vigilance Department and lodged a complaint. Acting on prior arrangements, Vigilance officials laid a trap, during which Dolagobinda handed over ₹5,000 to the ASI. The Vigilance team immediately apprehended Das with the tainted money in his possession. The operation was led by Vigilance DSP Sushil Ekka, DSP Sulochana Nayak, Inspectors Bijay Sethi, Jyotishankar Sahu, Sanghamitra Das, Saroj Sethi, and ASIs Srikant Nayak, Subhasis Behera, and Biswajit Das. Vigilance units from Cuttack, Kendrapara, and Jajpur jointly participated in the simultaneous raids conducted at three different locations. A fresh case has been registered by Vigilance under Case No. 34/25 in connection with the bribery incident. Further investigation is underway.
