Srinagar, May 27: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jammu and Kashmir on Monday said it arrested a senior assistant & cashier in the office of the Executive Engineer, KPDCL Sub Transmission Division, Sopore, for accepting a bribe of Rs 9,000 from a complainant.
The arrest occurred during a sting operation while the senior assistant Mohd Shafi Bhat was demanding and accepting the bribe for the release of a security deposit.
The ACB in a statement issued here said it received a complaint from a business owner operating under the name M/S Print Plus in Hazratbal, Srinagar. The complainant alleged that in 2021, he had supplied stationery items and log books to the office of the Executive Engineer, KPDCL, Sopore.
“Although the department had settled the bill for the supplied items, a security deposit amount of Rs 15,560 remained pending. Despite multiple attempts to secure the release of this amount, the complainant stated that Mohd Shafi Bhat kept delaying the process and finally demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 for releasing the funds,” the bureau said.
Upon receiving the complaint, which included proof of the bribe demand, the ACB registered a case under FIR No. 09/2024 pursuant to Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 (amended 2018). “A specially constituted team, led by an officer of DySP rank, was tasked with the investigation. The team successfully caught Bhat red-handed while he was accepting the bribe from the complainant,” the ACB said, adding, “The bribe amount was recovered from Bhat’s possession in the presence of independent witnesses, and he was immediately taken into custody following the completion of legal formalities.”
The ACB has announced that further investigations into the case are ongoing. It has urged the general public to refrain from paying bribes and to report any such demands from government officials.
Reports can be made via the ACB helpline at 9419678060 or through email at [email protected] for appropriate legal action, the Anti-Corruption Bureau said.
