On Wednesday, the Odisha Vigilance detained an Assistant Director of the Odisha Renewable Energy Development firm (OREDA) for allegedly receiving a Rs 10,000 bribe from a private firm to facilitate the clearance of pending bills.
The accused, Simadri Srikanta Rao, Assistant Director (Technical), OREDA, was caught red-handed accepting a bribe to sign a performance certificate required for the release of the balance payment for the installation of a 60 KW solar power plant at the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) in Cuttack.
According to Vigilance investigators, Rao demanded a bribe of Rs 30,000 from the agency's executive to clear lingering dues, despite the fact that the task had been completed. After talks, he reportedly agreed to accept Rs 10,000.

Aggrieved by the demand, the executant approached the Vigilance authorities, who set up a trap and captured the accused as he accepted the payment. The entire tainted money was removed from Rao's custody and seized.
Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were conducted at three locations associated with the accused to investigate possible excessive assets.
A case has been filed against Rao at the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act of 2018. Further inquiry is underway.