Bhubaneswar, Nov. 4 -- The Odisha Vigilance arrested a Special Land Acquisition Officer, Ajay Kumar Garanaik, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5.10 lakh from a landowner in connection with land acquisition for the Sambalpur-Talcher railway project.

According to Odisha Vigilance, the officer had demanded a bribe to facilitate the release of Rs 84.62 lakh in compensation to the landowner for land acquired for the railway project.

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Allegedly, Garanaik initially demanded 15 per cent of the compensation amount as a bribe. Following negotiations, the amount was settled at Rs 5.10 lakh.

The officer had allegedly accepted Rs 2 la...