Anantnag irrigation department officials trapped by ACB for accepting one lakh bribe
ANANTNAG, May 21, 2026 — The Jammu and Kashmir Anti Corruption Bureau caught and arrested a Ziladar and a Patwari attached to the Irrigation Division Anantnag today while they were demanding and accepting a bribe of 1,00,000 rupees.
The administrative action followed a formal complaint from a local citizen who alleged that Ziladar Nazir Ahmad Wani and Patwari Bilal Ahmad Wagay had demanded the money to dismiss a complaint pending against him regarding the alleged encroachment of government land at Ashajipora near Dabruna.
The accused officials initially demanded an amount equivalent to the local cost of one marla of land, valued at approximately 4 lakh rupees, before finally scaling down their demand after multiple negotiations.Refusing to pay the illegal gratification, the complainant approached the anti-graft agency to initiate legal proceedings against the public servants.
A preliminary discreet verification conducted by the bureau subsequently revealed that the property in question was actually the registered proprietary land of the complainant rather than state land, while simultaneously verifying the active bribe demand.
Based on these conclusive findings, officials registered a criminal case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Anti Corruption Bureau police station in Anantnag and initiated a formal investigation.A specialized trap team was quickly assembled to intercept the corrupt transaction.
The enforcement unit executed a successful sting operation, catching both government employees red-handed as they accepted the marked currency notes. The entire bribe amount was successfully recovered from their possession on the spot in the presence of independent witnesses, leading to their immediate arrest.
Following the operation, search teams accompanied by Executive Magistrates conducted extensive raids at the residential properties of both accused individuals, and further investigations into the case are currently underway.