Odisha Pharmacy Council employee arrested for ₹9,000 bribery in Bhubaneswar
Synopsis
An Odisha Pharmacy Council senior assistant and his private associate were caught red-handed accepting a ₹9,000 bribe to process a Pharmacy Registration Certificate — the latest in a series of trap operations by Odisha Vigilance targeting corruption in licensing processes. The entire bribe amount was recovered on the spot.
Key Takeaways
Odisha Vigilance arrested Biswamohan Pattnaik (Senior Assistant, OPC) and associate Md.
Izaz Khan on 9 June in Bhubaneswar .
The accused allegedly demanded and accepted a bribe of ₹9,000 to verify documents for a Pharmacy Registration Certificate .
The entire bribe amount was recovered and seized in the presence of witnesses during the trap operation.
Searches were conducted at Pattnaik's home in Adimata Colony and his office following the arrests.
A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 at Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station.
Odisha Vigilance on Tuesday, 9 June arrested a senior official of the Odisha Pharmacy Council (OPC) and his associate in Bhubaneswar for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹9,000 to process documents for a Pharmacy Registration Certificate. The arrests followed a sting operation by anti-corruption sleuths acting on a formal complaint from the affected applicant.
Who Was Arrested
The two accused have been identified as Biswamohan Pattnaik, also known as Raja, a Senior Assistant posted at the Odisha Pharmacy Council, Bhubaneswar, and Md. Izaz Khan, alias Prusty, a private individual who served as Pattnaik's associate. Both were caught red-handed and subsequently forwarded to court.
How the Bribery Unfolded
According to a senior vigilance official, the applicant had been approaching Pattnaik for nearly a week seeking action on the issuance of a Pharmacy Registration Certificate. Pattnaik allegedly refused to process the documents without a payment of ₹9,000. When the applicant visited the OPC office on Tuesday, Pattnaik reportedly repeated the demand and directed the applicant to hand over the money to Khan instead.
Finding no other recourse, the applicant filed a complaint with vigilance authorities. Anti-corruption teams promptly laid a trap and apprehended both Pattnaik and Khan at the moment of the transaction. The entire bribe amount was recovered and seized in the presence of witnesses.
Searches and Seizures
Following the arrests, simultaneous searches were conducted at Pattnaik's residential address in Adimata Colony, Bhubaneswar and at his office premises. A case bearing number 9/26 has been registered at the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
Broader Context
This arrest is part of a sustained crackdown by Odisha Vigilance against corruption in government and quasi-government bodies. Notably, bribery demands linked to licensing and certification processes — where applicants have limited alternatives — have been a recurring target of the department's trap operations. The use of an intermediary associate to insulate the primary accused from direct cash transactions is a pattern vigilance officials say they frequently encounter.
Both accused remain in judicial custody; the investigation is ongoing, and further searches may follow depending on findings at the seized premises.
Point of View
000 bribe in a government licensing office may seem minor in scale, but it signals a structural problem: when applicants have no alternative channel to obtain a registration certificate, a single gatekeeper can extract rent with near impunity. Odisha Vigilance's trap operations are a necessary deterrent, but they are reactive — each case requires a complainant willing to take personal risk. The deeper fix lies in digitising and decentralising certificate issuance so no single official controls the bottleneck. Until then, bribery in licensing will persist regardless of how many traps are laid.
NationPress
28 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was arrested in the Odisha Pharmacy Council bribery case?
Biswamohan Pattnaik, a Senior Assistant at the Odisha Pharmacy Council in Bhubaneswar, and his associate Md. Izaz Khan were arrested by Odisha Vigilance on 9 June for allegedly accepting a ₹9,000 bribe. Both were forwarded to court following the trap operation.
What was the bribe demanded for?
The bribe of ₹9,000 was allegedly demanded to verify documents required for the issuance of a Pharmacy Registration Certificate. Pattnaik reportedly refused to process the application without payment for nearly a week before the trap was laid.
How did Odisha Vigilance catch the accused?
After the applicant filed a formal complaint, anti-corruption officials laid a trap on Tuesday and apprehended Pattnaik and Khan at the moment of the transaction outside the OPC office. The entire ₹9,000 was recovered and seized in front of witnesses.
What charges have been filed in the case?
A case numbered 9/26 has been registered at the Bhubaneswar Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, which deals with taking gratification other than legal remuneration.
What happened after the arrests?
Following the arrests, Odisha Vigilance conducted simultaneous searches at Pattnaik's residence in Adimata Colony, Bhubaneswar, and at his office. Both accused were subsequently produced before a court and the investigation remains ongoing.
