Srinagar: The J&K Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday said that it has trapped and arrested a forester and a forest guard for demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹15,000.
The spokesperson of the J&K Anti Corruption Bureau said that a complaint was received wherein the complainant alleged that public servants namely Rashpaul Singh (BO) forester and Avdesh Singh, a forest guard demanded a bribe of ₹15,000 for release of the bill of the work namely “fencing work, Mawa Plantation of vitex etc, Pit Planting and Patch showing in Co. 28/K (Kaneli Nallah), Budhi Block Kathua Forest Range for ₹2,81,290”.
“The complainant didn’t want to pay a bribe and has approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau for taking legal action against the accused public servants under the law. On receipt of the complaint, a discreet verification was conducted, which confirmed the demand for bribe by the public servants concerned and accordingly, a case FIR No. 13/2024 u/s 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 & section 61(2) BNS was registered in Police Station Jammu on 14.09.2024 and investigation taken up,” said the spokesperson of the anti-graft agency.
During the course of the investigation, a trap team headed by Dy. SP rank officer was constituted. The team laid a successful trap and accused public servants were caught red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe amount of ₹15,000, in the presence of independent witnesses, from the complainant, it added.
“Both the accused were arrested on the spot by the ACB team after following due process of law. The bribe money was also recovered from their possession in the presence of independent witnesses associated with the trap team. Moreover, searches were also conducted in the residential houses of both the accused in the presence of an independent witness and a Magistrate. Further investigation of the instant case is going on.”
ACB arrests forester, guard for demanding bribe
