STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday trapped and arrested Patwari of Halqa Khanpur in Tehsil Marheen, Kathua for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 15000.
An ACB official said, “A complaint was received alleging therein that public servant namely Sudershan Khajuria, Patwari Halqa Khanpur Tehsil Marheen District Kathua demanded illegal gratification for correction of Girdawari entry in revenue record from the complainant.”
“The accused had initially demanded a bribe of Rs 30,000 from the complainant for correction of Girdawari entry in revenue records and in case, the complainant failed to provide the bribe amount,” the official said, adding that the Patwari intimidated the complainant to tamper his revenue record and will change the entries of his name.
Under compelling circumstances, the official said, the complainant had given Rs 5000 to the aforesaid Patwari.
After negotiation, the official added, the accused had agreed to bribe amount of Rs 15000, instead of agreed Rs 25000 from the complainant for doing the needful.
Since, the complainant didn’t want to pay bribe and he approached Anti Corruption Bureau for taking legal action against the accused public servant under law, the official said.
On receipt of the complaint, the official said, a discreet verification was conducted, which confirmed the demand of bribe by the public servant concerned and accordingly, a case FIR No. 01/2025 under Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was registered in Police Station ACB Jammu and investigation taken up.
During the course of investigation, official said, a trap team was constituted which laid a successful trap and accused public servant was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting bribe amount of Rs 15,000 from the complainant in the presence of independent witnesses.
“The accused was arrested on the spot by the ACB team after following due process of law. The bribe money was also recovered from his possession in presence of independent witnesses associated with the trap team. Moreover, searches were also conducted in the residential house/office premises of the accused in presence of independent witness and Magistrate,” the ACB official said adding that further investigation of the instant case is going on.
