The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday apprehended Vipin Pathania, a forest guard in Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir, for demanding a bribe of Rs 35,000 from a complainant. The bribe was sought to facilitate the smooth execution of contract work, specifically for construction and repair of a road, and to release the key of a JCB machine that had been forcibly taken by the accused.
Following a complaint, the CBI discreetly verified the allegations and found them to be genuine. A trap was subsequently laid in the presence of independent witnesses, during which Pathania was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe.
Pathania was arrested and a search was conducted at his residence in Dewal village, tehsil Billawar. He was produced before the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption (CBI Cases) Court in Jammu and was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
The CBI, along with the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), handles cases involving bribery by public servants in the region. Complainants are encouraged to report any such demands directly to these agencies.
This arrest follows a similar case from September last year, when two Forest Department officials — forester Rashpaul Singh and forest guard Avdesh Singh — were caught accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 in Kathua while facilitating the release of pending payments exceeding Rs 2.81 lakh for contract work in the Budhi block forest range.
