Srinagar, Mar 28 ; The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday apprehended an Executive Engineer of the Jal Shakti (PHE) Mechanical Division in South Awantipora while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of ?12,000, officials said.
The accused official was identified as Manzoor Ahmad Dar, a resident of Daf Pora in Budgam. A spokesperson for the ACB stated that the action was initiated following a written complaint alleging that the engineer had demanded a bribe of ?20,000 for clearing bills related to Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) works.
The complainant had already paid ?8,000 earlier, with the remaining ?12,000 to be paid upon the clearance of the bills. The complainant subsequently approached the ACB for legal action, officials added.
Following a discreet verification that confirmed the allegations, a case was registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, at the ACB police station in Anantnag.
A trap team was constituted, which laid a successful trap and caught the official red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe. The amount was recovered from his possession in the presence of independent witnesses, the official said.
Following the arrest, searches were conducted at the residential premises of the accused in the presence of executive magistrates and independent witnesses. Further investigation into the matter is underway, officials added. (KNS)
