he Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday arrested Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a Patwari (revenue official) from Chanapora, Srinagar, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000. The arrest followed a complaint lodged by a local resident, alleging that Bhat had sought the bribe for issuing revenue extracts for a property transaction.
The complainant, who had applied online for revenue extracts concerning his residential house and 15 marlas of land at Ghurdawara Lane, Chanapora, claimed that Bhat had demanded a bribe of Rs 40,000 to process the request. The complainant, opposed to paying the bribe, reached out to the ACB Srinagar to take legal action.
Following the complaint, the ACB conducted a discreet verification, which confirmed the bribe demand. Subsequently, a case was registered under FIR number 17/2024 under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act). An investigation was initiated, and a trap team was formed to catch the accused in the act.
The trap was successfully laid, and Farooq Ahmad Bhat was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 40,000 at the Patwar Halqa Chanapora office. During a personal search, the ACB recovered an additional Rs 35,000 in cash from the accused, which was seized as part of the investigation.
Bhat was arrested on the spot, and further investigation into the case is underway. The Anti-Corruption Bureau has vowed to continue its efforts to tackle corruption within public offices and ensure accountability in government services.