Odisha: Govt Doctor caught red handed while taking bribe to countersign death insurance claim

Bhubaneswar: A Government Doctor has been arrested by the Odisha Vigilance for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 11,000 from a LIC agent to countersign the death insurance claim form of a deceased policyholder, who was under his treatment, which would have otherwise allowed an 8-year-old girl to get the death insurance claim. 

The accused has been identified as Dr Umakanta Khejuria who is a medicine specialist in the Headquarters Hospital, Dhenkanal. the LIC policyholder identified as Nandini Nayak was under the doctor's treatment for the last few months before she died on February 1, reports the Times of India. Her spouse had also passed a few years earlier. the minor daughter was the nominee of the insurance claim. 

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A press release issued by the vigilance on Tuesday stated, "A lady, Nandini Nayak, (37), died recently and her only surviving eight-year-old minor daughter was supposed to get the death insurance claim as the nominee. The bribe demand was for countersigning the claim documents." 

It further stated, "Based on a complaint, a trap was laid on Tuesday wherein the accused Dr Umakanta Khejuria was caught by the team of Odisha Vigilance at a clinic near District Headquarter Hospital, Dhenkanal while demanding and accepting undue advantage (bribe) of Rs.11,000 from the complainant."

The press release, as reported in the Telegraph India, stated, "The entire bribe money was recovered from Dr Khejuria and seized, a case has been registered. Investigation in progress against accused Dr Khejuria. He will be forwarded to court on Wednesday."

After the trap was laid to catch the doctor, searches were conducted at the rented residential house of Dr Khejuria at Ganesh Bazar, Dhenkanal, the house at his native village at Gadasahi in Balasore, and his residential house at village Mayura, Jashipur in Mayurbhanj district, reports The Hindu.

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