Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) trapped and arrested Forester and Forest Guard for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 15,000.

A statement reads that Jammu and Kashmir Anti Corruption Bureau received a complaint alleging therein that public servants namely Rashpaul Singh (BO) Forester and Avdesh Singh, Forest Guard demanded bribe of Rs 15000 for release of 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 Rs 2,81,290”.

The complainant didn’t want to pay bribe and has approached Anti-Corruption Bureau for taking legal action against the accused public servants under law, it reads.

On receipt of the complaint, a discreet verification was conducted, which confirms the demand of bribe by the public servants concerned and accordingly, a case FIR No. 13/2024 u/s 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 & section 161(2) BNS was registered in Police Station Jammu on 14.09.2024 and investigation taken up,” the statement reads.

During the course of 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 bribe amount of Rs 15,000, in the presence of independent witnesses, from the complainant, it reads, adding that 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 presence of independent witnesses associated with the trap team, it added.

Moreover, searches were also conducted in the residential houses of both the accused in presence of independent witness and Magistrate, the statement said, adding that further investigation of the instant case is going on—

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