Bribery cuffs on pharmacy council staff, aide

Bhubaneswar: Vigilance sleuths on Tuesday arrested two men, including a senior assistant of Odisha pharmacy council, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 9,000 from a pharmacist in exchange for facilitating his registration certificate.The accused were identified as Biswamohan Pattnaik (41), a senior assistant with the council, and his associate Izaz Khan (26), who is not a govt employee.“A pharmacist recently applied for a registration certificate with the council. Instead of processing the application, Pattnaik demanded money. Despite the applicant’s hesitation, he insisted on the bribe,” a vigilance official said.Acting on the complaint lodged last week, vigilance officials laid a trap. “Pattnaik directed the complainant to hand over the cash to his associate Khan. The duo was caught red-handed during the transaction,” the official added.Vigilance investigators said Pattnaik is also known as a heavyweight arm wrestler who has won several medals. “Following his arrest, we are verifying whether he accumulated disproportionate assets,” the vigilance official said.