ASI gets 3-year jail for bribery; court grants bail

Berhampur: The special vigilance court in Phulbani, Kandhamal district, on Wednesday sentenced an assistant sub inspector (ASI) to three years of rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case.Judge Rajesh Dash also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on convict Nabin Kumar Satapathy, 56, of Butapalli in Boudh district, who works in Deogarh. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to undergo an additional four months in jail, said V V Ramdash, special public prosecutor.He said the convict was released on a bail bond of Rs 50,000 along with two sureties.Sources said the convict took a bribe of Rs 8,000 from a complainant to relax sections imposed in an FIR and not to arrest his brother and uncle in a case, when he was working as an ASI in Kiakata police station in Boudh. Vigilance sleuths trapped him at Boudh bus stand and recovered the bribe money. A case was registered against Satapathy on July 25, 2023.“The court pronounced its judgment after recording the statements of 12 witnesses and verifying some related documents,” Ramdash said. “The vigilance department will take further action against him,” he added.