J&K ACB Traps and Arrests Kathua Patwari for Demanding and Accepting Bribe

JAMMU, JULY 16: In a major crackdown on bureaucratic corruption, the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) trapped and arrested Khajan Chand, a Patwari (revenue official) posted at Patwar Halqa Mahanpur in the Kathua district, for demanding and accepting illegal gratification from a complainant.

According to an official press release, the bureau registered a case under FIR No. 05/2026 U/S 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, at Police Station ACB Jammu, after the accused public servant allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹20,000 for providing essential revenue documents following a mutation attestation in favor of the complainant’s sister. The complainant had already paid an initial installment of ₹9,000, but the Patwari persistently demanded an additional ₹11,000, which was eventually negotiated down to ₹10,000 in exchange for the mutation copies. Reluctant to succumb to the corrupt demands, the complainant approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau to initiate legal proceedings.

Following a swift and discreet verification process that verified the validity of the bribery demand, the ACB Jammu team constituted a specialized trap unit. The operation culminated in the accused being caught red-handed while accepting the negotiated bribe money in the immediate presence of independent witnesses. The illicit funds were safely recovered from his possession on the spot, and the official was taken into custody following the due process of law. Legal searches are currently being conducted at the residential premises of the arrested Patwari, and a thorough investigation into the case remains underway.