ACB nabs Patwari in Anantnag for corruption

Srinagar, Aug 01: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday said it apprehended a Patwari (land revenue officer) in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district for demanding and accepting a bribe.
The ACB in a statement issued here said it successfully apprehended Mohammad Ayoub Hajam, a Patwari of Halqa Fatehpora in Anantnag for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5000. The bribe, it said, was solicited to issue certified copies of online mutation records related to land purchased by the complainant’s wife in February of this year.
According to the complaint received by the ACB, Patwari Hajam initially demanded Rs 9,000 as a bribe but later agreed to accept Rs 5,000 after negotiations. The complainant, unwilling to pay the bribe, reported the matter to the Anti Corruption Bureau, seeking legal action against the accused Patwari.
“Following the complaint, the ACB conducted a discreet verification, confirming the demand for a bribe. Subsequently, Case FIR No. 04/2024 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, was registered at the ACB Police Station in Anantnag, and an investigation was initiated,” the bureau said.
During the investigation, a trap team was constituted, and a trap was successfully laid. “Mohammad Ayoub Hajam, son of Mohammad Ramzan and resident of Vessu, District Anantnag, was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 5000 from the complainant. He was arrested on the spot, and the bribe amount was recovered from his possession in the presence of independent witnesses who were part of the trap team,” the ACB said, adding that the investigation into the case is ongoing.