Baramulla,Apr,07:In a major crackdown on corruption, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jammu & Kashmir, on Tuesday arrested two officials of the PWD (R&B) Mechanical Division, North Kashmir, Baramulla, for demanding and accepting a bribe for releasing pending payment.
According to an official statement, the ACB received a telephonic complaint on April 6 through its helpline from a manager of a private firm registered on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. The complainant stated that his firm had successfully secured a tender for the supply of a customized vehicle for live fish transportation to the Department of Fisheries, Bandipora.
Despite completing all formalities, including submission of bills through the GeM portal and hard copies to the concerned department, the payment was allegedly withheld deliberately. The complainant further alleged that Mushtaq Ahmad (Senior Assistant) and Farooq Ahmad (Junior Assistant) demanded a bribe of ₹13,000 for processing and releasing the payment.
Acting swiftly, the ACB conducted a discreet verification which prima facie established the allegations.
Subsequently, a case FIR No. 01/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), read with Section 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, was registered at Police Station ACB Baramulla.
During the investigation, a trap team of ACB successfully apprehended both the accused officials while demanding and accepting the bribe amount from the complainant. The accused were taken into custody on the spot after completing all necessary legal formalities.Officials also told, that further investigation into the case is underway.
The ACB reiterated that corruption in public offices will not be tolerated and urged citizens to report any such incidents. People can contact the ACB through its toll-free helpline 1800-180-7152, WhatsApp number 9419678060, Satark Nagrik Mobile App, or email director.vigilance@jk.gov.in.
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