Inspector caught accepting Rs 40,000 bribe; unaccounted cash seized from his residence

Bhubaneswar: Vigilance sleuths on Sunday arrested Bijay Kumar Barik, inspector in-charge (IIC) of CRRI police station in Cuttack, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 from a licenced liquor trader in exchange for allowing his business to operate without interference. The 43-year-old police officer was caught at Raj Mahal Square here while receiving the bribe amount early in the morning.“Searches at his govt quarters in Bhubaneswar led to the recovery of Rs 5 lakh in unaccounted cash. He failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for its source. We suspect the money also came in the form of bribes from different sources,” a vigilance officer said.Investigators also seized 10 costly watches, gold and silver jewellery from his residence. The anti-corruption wing launched a probe to determine if Barik possessed disproportionate assets. Officials said that his bank accounts, investments, and those of his family members and relatives were under scrutiny. The vigilance department stated that further investigation was underway.Vigilance sources said the liquor trader, who owned an off-shop under CRRI police station limits, recently lodged a complaint alleging harassment by Barik. “The trader claimed that the inspector extorted Rs 30,000 per month as protection money to allow his business to run smoothly. The demand was later increased to Rs 40,000. In addition, Barik allegedly sought supply of prawn and mutton from the complainant. We laid a trap and arrested him,” the officer said.Barik joined Odisha police as a sub-inspector on Sept 21, 2012, and served in Boudh district for several years before being promoted to inspector in Nov 2021. His service record shows postings at multiple police stations under the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack commissionerate police area. He was posted as an SI at Nayapalli police station (March 2019 to Nov 2021), additional IIC at Saheed Nagar police station (Nov 2021 to Aug 2022), IIC of Info Valley police station (Sept 2022 to Feb 2024), and IIC at Cuttack’s CRRI police station since Feb 2024.