The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested a revenue official for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 5,000 in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The ACB said it received a complaint alleging therein that Mohammad Ayoub Hajam, a Patwari, Halqa Fatehpora is demanding Rs 9000 as bribe for issuing certified copy of online mutation in respect of land which the wife of complainant had purchased in the month of February this year.
However after negotiation the amount was settled as Rs 5000.
The complainant chose not to pay a bribe and instead approached ACB for taking legal action against the accused Patwari as provided under law.
On receipt of the complaint, a discreet verification was conducted which confirms the demand by the said Patwari and accordingly Case FIR No. 04/2024 u/s 7 of P/C Act 1988 was registered in PS ACB Anantnag and investigation was taken up.
During the course of investigation a trap team was constituted that laid a successful trap and caught Patwari Hajam a resident of Vessu, District Anantnag red handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5000 from the complainant.
He was arrested on the spot by the ACB team. The bribe amount was also recovered from his possession in presence of independent witnesses associated with the trap team.
Further investigation of the instant case is going on, the ACB said.