Odisha Vigilance on Monday, 3 November 2026, arrested Ajay Kumar Garanaik, a Special Land Acquisition Officer posted with the Sambalpur-Talcher Doubling Rail Line Project, after he was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of ₹3.10 lakh near the B.Ed. College in Anugola. The trap was laid following a formal complaint by a landowner whose compensation of ₹84,62,288 — tied to land acquisition for a proposed railway project — had allegedly been held hostage to a corrupt demand.

How the Trap Was Laid

According to the official statement by Odisha Vigilance, Garanaik had originally demanded a total bribe of ₹5.10 lakh from the complainant — a land oustee whose property was being acquired under the railway line project. Of this, ₹2 lakh was allegedly paid on 27 October, with the remaining ₹3.10 lakh demanded shortly thereafter.

Garanaik reportedly threatened the complainant that unless the balance was paid immediately, he would 'create problems' during future land acquisition proceedings related to the proposed third railway line project. Faced with harassment and coercion, the complainant approached Odisha Vigilance and narrated the full sequence of events.

The Arrest and Recovery

A Vigilance team staked out the handover location and nabbed Garanaik at the moment of accepting the ₹3.10 lakh balance. The entire tainted amount was recovered from his possession and seized as evidence. Acting swiftly, Vigilance simultaneously launched searches at three locations linked to Garanaik on suspicion that he may be holding assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Case Registered, Investigation Underway

A case — numbered 20/26 — has been registered at the Sambalpur Vigilance Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Odisha Vigilance confirmed that investigation is ongoing and that a detailed report will be submitted upon completion.

Broader Context

The arrest comes amid heightened anti-corruption scrutiny of land acquisition processes tied to infrastructure projects across Odisha. Land oustees — already navigating complex compensation frameworks — are often vulnerable to rent-seeking by officials who control disbursement timelines. This is not the first instance of a land acquisition officer being caught by Odisha Vigilance in connection with railway or road projects; the agency has conducted several such traps in recent years, signalling both persistent systemic risk and active enforcement. Notably, the complainant's decision to report rather than pay underscores the growing use of Vigilance channels by aggrieved landowners.