J&K ACB Arrests Reasi Girdawar for Accepting ₹10,000 Bribe in Land Demarcation Trap

UDHAMPUR/Reasi, February 18, 2026 — The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) achieved a significant breakthrough in its campaign against administrative malpractice by arresting Mohd. Saleem Bandey, a Girdawar posted at Halqa Judda, Tehsil Arnas, District Reasi.

The arrest followed a meticulously planned trap operation after a local resident reported that the official was demanding an illegal gratification of ₹10,000 to perform a routine land demarcation of ancestral property.

Upon receiving the complaint, the ACB conducted a discreet verification that confirmed the bribe demand, leading to the formal registration of FIR No. 04/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, at the ACB Police Station in Udhampur.

During the execution of the trap, a specialized team led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police caught Bandey red-handed while he was accepting the marked currency in the presence of independent witnesses.

The bribe money was recovered on the spot, and the accused was immediately taken into custody following strict legal protocols. The investigation further intensified with a court-authorized search of the accused’s residence at Sallian Talab, Udhampur, conducted in the presence of a Magistrate.

Notably, this is not the official’s first brush with the law; the ACB revealed that Bandey already has two prior FIRs registered against him at the Udhampur station, marking him as a repeat offender in the eyes of the bureau.