Head clerk arrested for taking bribe

Jharsuguda: Vigilance sleuths on Wednesday arrested a head clerk posted in the office of the chief district medical and public health officer, Jharsuguda for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2,500 to process an application related to practical training of nursing students. The accused, identified as Anit Kumar Guru, was caught red-handed while allegedly taking the bribe from a teacher of a general nursing training school in the district. Vigilance officials said the money was demanded to facilitate engaging GNM students in primary health centres and community health centres for their practical training for the 2026–27 academic session. According to officials, there were prior allegations that Guru had been harassing nursing institutes and demanding illegal gratification to clear such applications. When the complainant approached him for approval, the clerk allegedly reiterated his demand, prompting the teacher to lodge a complaint with the vigilance department. Acting on the complaint, a vigilance team laid a trap and apprehended Guru while he was allegedly accepting the money. The entire bribe amount of Rs 2,500 was recovered from his possession and seized. Following the arrest, simultaneous searches were launched at two locations linked to the accused to probe allegations of disproportionate assets. A case has been registered against Guru at the Rourkela vigilance police station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation is underway.