CTO & GST Officer arrested by Vigilance for taking Rs 30K bribe 

Bhubaneswar: The Vigilance Sleuths apprehended Manas Ranjan Behera, the CTO & GST Officer of the Enforcement Unit in Puri, on Thursday for accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a vehicle owner to release his detained vehicle. The Vigilance press note stated that Behera was caught in front of Zilla School, Puri, while demanding and receiving the bribe.

Despite the complainant having already paid a GST penalty of Rs. 79,200 on March 19, 2024, Behera refused to release the vehicle until he received an additional bribe of Rs 30,000. Faced with no alternative, the complainant reported the harassment to the Vigilance Authority.

In response, vigilance officials arrested Behera in the act of accepting the Rs. 30,000 bribe from the complainant. The entire bribe amount was recovered from Behera’s possession and seized.

Following this successful operation, simultaneous searches are being conducted at three locations associated with Behera from the perspective of assets acquired through corrupt practices.

The Vigilance Cell has registered a case (PS Case No.4/2024) under Section 7PC (Amendment) Act, 2018, and an investigation is underway against the accused, Sri Behera, CTO & GST Officer of the Enforcement Unit in Puri.