In a major anti-corruption action, the Vigilance Department on Friday arrested a woman supervisor posted at the ICDS office in Kesaria while she was allegedly accepting a bribe. The accused has been identified as Ambalika Kumari, who was caught red-handed during a trap operation.
₹4,000 Bribe Recovered From Office
According to vigilance officials, Ambalika Kumari was apprehended while taking ₹4,000 in illegal gratification inside her office. The bribe was allegedly demanded for clearing a voucher related to nutrition funds. Along with the cash, the vigilance team recovered important documents, including records allegedly linked to commission collection from multiple anganwadi centres.
Allegation Linked to Nutrition Fund Voucher
The complaint was filed on December 2 by Janardan Prasad Kushwaha, a resident of Bankat Mafia village. His wife, Reeta Kumari, works as an anganwadi sevika. The complainant alleged that the supervisor demanded ₹4,000 to approve a ₹13,500 voucher under the nutrition scheme.
Trap Laid After Verification
Vigilance DSP Akhilesh Kumar said the allegations were verified and found to be true. Following this, a trap was laid, and the supervisor was caught while accepting the bribe amount from the complainant.
Attempt to Destroy Evidence
During the operation, the accused allegedly swallowed a list containing details of collections made from anganwadi centres for the month of November, raising further suspicion about systematic corruption. Officials said this aspect will be examined in detail during the investigation.
Medical Examination, Further Probe On
After preliminary questioning, the accused was taken for medical examination at the Community Health Centre (CHC) and later brought by the vigilance team for further legal proceedings. The seized documents are currently under scrutiny to identify whether other individuals were involved in the alleged bribery network.
