An Odisha state revenue service officer was arrested in Angul on Monday for allegedly accepting Rs 5 lakh to facilitate the release of compensation for land acquired for the Sambalpur-Talcher railway line doubling project, according to Odisha Vigilance officials.
The accused, Ajay Kumar Garanaik, 56, was serving as the land acquisition officer for the railway project. Vigilance officials said he allegedly demanded Rs 5.10 lakh from a landowner in connection with the release of Rs 84.62 lakh sanctioned as compensation for land acquired in Angul district.
According to preliminary findings cited by the agency, Garanaik allegedly collected Rs 2 lakh from the complainant on October 27 and repeatedly pressured him to pay the remaining amount. The officer allegedly presented himself as instrumental in securing the sanctioned compensation and demanded a commission for facilitating its release.
Vigilance officials further alleged that Garanaik threatened to create obstacles in the complainant’s future compensation cases. The alleged intimidation related to another parcel of land that could be acquired for a proposed third railway line project, officials said.
The landowner approached Odisha Vigilance after allegedly being unable to withstand the demands. The agency then laid a trap and arrested Garanaik while he was allegedly accepting the remaining Rs 3.10 lakh from the complainant at an isolated location in Angul on Monday afternoon.
The alleged bribe money was recovered from Garanaik’s possession and seized in the presence of witnesses, according to officials. The arrest places the compensation process for railway-acquired land under scrutiny, particularly because such payments are intended to transfer the financial entitlement approved for affected landowners.
Vigilance officials said simultaneous searches were being conducted at properties linked to the accused to determine whether he possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The source report did not provide details of any further arrests, departmental action or the status of the complainant’s sanctioned compensation.
The alleged transaction is linked to the Sambalpur-Talcher rail line doubling project, an infrastructure work requiring land acquisition in Angul. The case will now proceed through the vigilance investigation and related legal process.
