ACB Caught Patwari Red-Handed Taking Bribe in Kathua, Arrested

Srinagar, June 30 : The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday arrested a revenue official (Patwari) in Kathua district while accepting a bribe of ₹30,000 in a trap operation conducted after a formal complaint was filed regarding demand for illegal gratification.

In a statement issued here to news agency TKD reads, ACB received a complaint alleging therein that public servant namely Liaquat Ali, Patwari, Patwar Halqa Thuthay Chak Tehsil Hiranagar, District Kathua, demanded illegal gratification from the complainant for attestation of mutation.

The accused had demanded a bribe of ₹1,00,000 from the complainant for entering the name of his wife in the mutation register. After negotiation, the accused has agreed to take bribe amount of ₹70,000 from the complainant in two installments, it reads.

Complainant arranged ₹30,000 as bribe money as 1st installment for payment to the said Patwari. Since, the complainant didn’t want to pay bribe and he approached Anti-Corruption Bureau for taking legal action against the accused public servant under law, it reads.

On receipt of the complaint, a discreet verification was conducted, which corroborates the demand of bribe by the public servant concerned and accordingly, a case FIR No. 13/2025 U/S 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was registered in Police Station ACB Jammu and investigation taken up, statement reads.

During the course of investigation, a trap team headed by Gazetted rank officer was constituted. The team laid a successful trap and accused public servant was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting bribe amount of ₹30,000 from the complainant in the presence of independent witnesses, it reads.

Statement reads that, The accused was arrested on the spot by the ACB team after following due process of law. The bribe money was also recovered from his possession in presence of independent witnesses associated with the trap team.

Moreover, search is being conducted in the residential house of the accused situated in Kishanpur, Dungara, Billawar, District Kathua in presence of independent witness and Magistrate, it reads.

Further investigation of the instant case is going on, reads the statement.