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Odisha tahsildar arrested for accepting bribe to clear land conversion
Aswini Kumar Panda, who topped the 2019 Odisha Civil Services Exam and is now the tahsildar of Bamra, was arrested on Friday for allegedly accepting a ₹15,000 bribe.
Odisha Vigilance caught him during a sting operation after he reportedly demanded money to convert agricultural land into homestead land.
The complainant tipped off officials, leading to Panda being caught red-handed through his driver.
Tahsildar's driver also arrested
During follow-up searches at Panda's Bhubaneswar home, officials found ₹4.73 lakh in cash. His driver was also arrested.
At just 32, Panda had joined government service in December 2021 after topping the state exam.