Bhubaneswar: Odisha vigilance officials have detained a faculty member of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, after seizing unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 2.63 lakh from him on Thursday.According to the vigilance release, the team intercepted the senior doctor at Kathagolasahi medical road while he was carrying the ill-gotten cash in his two-wheeler.Investigators alleged that the doctor had collected the bribe from bidders competing to supply medical instruments to the hepatology department. “We had kept a close watch on his activities for the past few weeks after receiving information about his corrupt practices in supplier selection,” a vigilance officer said.During the probe, officials discovered that the doctor, who cleared MBBS in 1994, had allegedly been coercing suppliers to provide equipment to a private clinic linked to him.Another vigilance officer said: “We had credible intelligence regarding the illegal transaction. The operation was executed, and the medical faculty member was caught while carrying the cash. He failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the source of money. He is currently being interrogated and will be arrested on Friday.”Officials further stated that his professional conduct and departmental decisions will now come under scrutiny. Following the operation, searches were launched at three locations linked to him to assess his assets and determine whether he possessed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. A case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018.This is the second instance this month of a medical professional being caught in the vigilance net. On Jan 16, officials arrested a medical officer at the community health centre (CHC), Kaniha, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 49,000 from women community health officers to clear their incentive payments.
