Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance officials on Wednesday apprehended a forest department employee for allegedly taking Rs 30,000 bribe to prepare final pension papers and arrears for a retired staffer.

The accused has been identified as Rupchand Nayak, a junior assistant in the office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests at Nicolson Forest Training School, Champua in Keonjhar district.

He was caught red-handed by a Vigilance team while accepting the money from the complainant, a retired employee who had voluntarily retired in 2024.

As per Vigilance, the pensioner had repeatedly asked Nayak to complete his final pension and arrear salary bills since his 2024 retirement. Nayak allegedly demanded Rs 30,000 to process the paperwork.

Frustrated by more than a year’s delay, the retired employee approached Vigilance and a trap was laid. The entire sum of Rs 30,000 was recovered from Nayak and seized at the time of his arrest.

Following the trap, simultaneous searches are underway at two locations linked to Nayak on suspicion of disproportionate assets. A case has been registered at the Balasore Vigilance police station, and further investigation is underway.