Srinagar, July 06: Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday said it trapped and arrested a government employee in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district for “demanding and accepting” the bribe.
The ACB in a statement issued here said that Gh Nabi Wani, a clerk in the office of Executive Engineer, R&B Bandipora, was arrested while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 29,000 from a complainant for helping him in securing a contractor card.
“A complaint was received by Anti Corruption Bureau UT of J&K from complainant R/O Bandipora against Gh Nabi Wani, a clerk in the office of Executive Engineer R&B Bandipora alleging therein that concerned official is demanding a bribe of Rs 29,000 from him for helping him in securing contractor card. It was alleged by the complainant that he is from a very poor family & presently unemployed despite being postgraduate and that in order to earn livelihood for his family, he decided to get a contractor card for himself,” the statement reads.
The complainant said since he was already working as a partner with a contractor friend and was very much aware of his work, he went to the office of the Executive Engineer R&B Bandipora and met the clerk Gh Nabi Wani, requesting that he wants to get a contractor card.
The complainant asked him for help in securing the same and also wanted to know about formalities to be completed, the ACB said, adding, “The concerned clerk assured him in getting the experience certificate also from AEE duly attested by the Executive Engineer Bandipora as required under rules. He asked him to hand over the relevant documents like marks cards from 10th/12th, graduation, Pan card, Aadhar card, 04 photographs, bank statement, and unemployment certificate to him which he did. He further asked the complainant to prepare an affidavit along with the e-stamp fee and hand over same to him, which also he did.”
After handing over these documents and the affidavit, the clerk demanded an amount of Rs 30,000 from him as a bribe for doing so, the ACB said, adding that under these circumstances, the complainant approached the Bureau with the complaint and requested legal action against the accused clerk.
The complainant requested the accused clerk for some concession on the pleas that he is very poor and cannot pay a huge amount and finally, he agreed to Rs 29,000 as a bribe to be paid, the statement reads.
The ACB said a case was registered against Wani at Police Station Anti Corruption Bureau Baramulla and the investigation was initiated. A trap team was constituted and the accused clerk was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe amount of Rs 29,000 from the complainant.
“He was arrested on the spot after completing all legal formalities,” the ACB said, adding, “Further investigation in the case is going on.”
