A headmaster of a high school in Odisha’s Kendrapara district was apprehended by Odisha Vigilance on Monday while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 from a staff member to facilitate the release of pending salary dues.

The accused has been identified as Raghunath Das, Headmaster of a High School at Chadeiguan near Mahakalpada in Kendrapara district.

According to Vigilance officials, Das was caught while allegedly demanding and accepting the bribe amount from a newly appointed staff member of the same school for taking steps related to the drawal of his arrear salary.

Staffer Allegedly Denied Salary

Officials said the complainant had joined the school in August 2025 but had reportedly not received his salary since then.

The staff member had allegedly been requesting the headmaster to furnish the attendance sheet to the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) in the office of the District Education Officer (DEO), Kendrapara, for processing his salary dues.

However, the accused headmaster allegedly demanded Rs 5,000 to facilitate the release of the arrear salary.

Vigilance Team Conducts Trap

Following the complaint, Odisha Vigilance laid a trap and apprehended the accused while allegedly taking the bribe amount from the complainant. The bribe amount of Rs 5,000 was reportedly recovered from the exclusive possession of the accused and seized.

Searches Underway

Following the trap, simultaneous searches were launched at two locations linked to the accused from the disproportionate assets angle.

Also Read: Odisha junior engineer, associate nabbed by Vigilance while accepting Rs 1.36 lakh bribe

In connection with the incident, Cuttack Vigilance Police Station Case No. 20/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 has been registered.

Investigation into the matter was underway at the time of reporting.