Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Anti Corruption Bureau on Saturday arrested a forester and a guard in a bribery case in Kathua district.
The spokesman said that the 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 a bribe of Rs 15000 for the 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 Rs 2,81,290. ”
The complainant didn’t want to pay a bribe and has approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau about taking legal action against the accused public servants under law.
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 was registered in Police Station Jammu and an investigation taken up.
During the course of investigation, a trap team headed by Dy SP rank officer was constituted; it laid a successful trap, and accused public servants were caught red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe amount of Rs 15,000, in the presence of independent witnesses, from the complainant.
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 Magistrate, said the spokesman.