India, June 24 -- Odisha Vigilance has arrested a senior Rural Works Department official in Rayagada district for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a contractor in exchange for clearing pending bills and issuing a work experience certificate required for participation in a tender process. Pattnaik was scheduled to retire from service on June 30.

The accused, Prasanna Kumar Pattnaik, Executive Engineer of Rural Works Division-I (RWD-I), Rayagada, was apprehended late on June 23 while accepting the bribe from the contractor.

According to Vigilance officials, the contractor had been requesting Pattnaik to issue a work experience certificate that would enable him to participate in fresh tenders. The official demanded Rs 2.5 lak...